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Refuge Success Stories
Summary of All Stories
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The refuge is a home for teenage mothers who have nowhere to go and little or no help from their families. The blessing of the refuge is hope in a hopeless situation. I am inspired by the courage of the young mothers and am touched by their stories. I am encouraged by the programs the refuge provides and am moved by the way the young mothers help one another. I am amazed by how much these young women can accomplish with so little, and by the wisdom of the Sisters who have been finding ways to support the young mothers since 1927.
The following are the stories of young women who, like others who have come to the refuge before and after them, fill us with optimism for the future. Acceptance and love truly do work miracles. We hope to shelter even more young women than we do at the present time so that others like Carolyn, Filomena, Alicia, Julia, and their children may be given a chance not only to survive, but to thrive.
Sr. Yvette Mallow
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MLC: Success Stories: Refuge
Alvaro and Filomena
Alvaro was born at the refuge in 2000. His mother, Filomena, came to the refuge with nothing more than her determination and the clothes on her back. Through the classes on self-esteem, life skills, and other mentoring at the refuge, she realized that her son needed a stable environment, something she never had.
She began to save every peso she earned. Eventually she earned enough money to open a savings account. She stayed at the refuge until Alvaro was almost three years old
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Filomena applied for a job as a live-in maid and was hired. The hardest part of the job was that she had to leave Alvaro in a children’s home while she worked to earn a living. She was only able to be with him on the weekends. With her goal firmly in mind to provide a home for him, she saved her money. I gave her a scholarship of $200. She saved that, too.
Finally, she earned enough money to petition for government housing. Because she had proven her ability to save money, her petition was granted and she picked out her very own house. Then disaster struck; though she worked hard, her employer no longer needed an extra maid and she lost her job.
She came back to the refuge asking to work in the kitchen. Sister Edith, the Mother Superior agreed, on the condition that Filomina attend school. The Sisters emptied out a storage room, and equipped it with a bed and other furnishings so that Alvaro could live with Filomena at the refuge.
Filomena graduated in July 2006 with a diploma in International Cooking. She is living independently with Alvaro in a little house in Santiago.
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MLC: Success Stories: Refuge
Carolyn and Laura
The Sisters and I were having a picnic in the foothills of Santiago when a poised, and lovely young woman approached me.
"I'm Carolyn. Do you remember me? My daughter was born at the refuge in 1990. Now she is fifteen."
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My mind raced back in time, memories surfacing. 1990 was the year we started the Infant Stimulation Program at the refuge. I remembered the way Carolyn had worked so lovingly with her daughter Laura. Hugs and tears of joy were plentiful. We listened with delight when Carolyn talked of Laura.
"Laura is superbien. She always receives good marks in school. She is fifteen now and is studying computer science. Imagine, I was only fifteen when she was born and you were my real mother."
Carolyn glowed when she talked of her daughter, and the Sisters and I were delighted to hear how well she was doing as a mom and a wage earner.
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MLC: Success Stories: Refuge
Alicia
Alicia was one-and-a-half years old when she and her mother left the Refuge. Alicia came back to the Refuge at the age of twenty-nine, hoping to find her roots. She discovered that the refuge was a place of tranquility and beauty. Many of her questions were answered. She left with a deep sense of gratitude and a sense of belonging- a spiritual journey realized.
Alicia works as a journalist for the Government of Chile.
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MLC: Success Stories: Refuge
Julia
Julia’s mom was a prostitute. She took Julia to Argentina when Julia was a young girl and put her in a home there. When Julia became pregnant, the directors of the home did not want Julia's baby to be born on Argentine soil because Julia was Chilean. They sent her by airplane to Santiago. The police picked her up at the airport and brought her to the Refuge. At the time, Julia had attended school only through the second grade. She barely knew how to read and could not tell time. In spite of numerous disadvantages, she completed grades three through eight, six years of coursework, in two years and then attended sewing school.
Her first paying job was to make curtains for all the bedrooms in the refuge. Her son, Jon, was a robust and lively four-year-old When Julia left the refuge.
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