CARI EMERGENCY FUNDING APPEAL – HELP US TO RAISE €100K in 100 DAYS TO SUPPORT CHILD VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
Covid Lockdowns Lead to Shocking Waiting List Jump of 115%
As a Result, Children as Young as 3 Could Wait 5 Years For Help!
JAKE’S STORY
Why Early Treatment For Child Sexual Abuse Is So Important
Can you imagine your entire life shattering before your eyes in just under a minute? Numb, fearful, and not knowing where to turn or what to do. My name is Aoife, and this was me in June 2019. I can’t even begin to tell you the impact Child Sexual Abuse had on my family.
Jake loved to play football outside with his friends and would complain at times when we would tell him it was time to come in. However, one day when his friends called for him to go out and play, he stood behind me and said “No Mammy, I don’t want to play today.”
Later that evening he was crying in his room and told me the reason why he didn’t want to play football was because when he scored a goal the man across the road would call him to come over for a treat for winning and that treat was sweets, but he would touch Jake inappropriately!
Then came the feelings of guilt, blame and asking myself why didn’t I see the signs? Looking back – the way Jake had refused recently to go outside and play. He didn’t even want to play football or any other games with his dad and brothers. Jake had become very withdrawn and wanted to spend time alone in his room. He even started wetting the bed due to his nightmares. It was as if he couldn’t find his joy and spark anymore.
We contacted the relevant authorities, including CARI, and got an appointment almost straight away and I cannot thank CARI enough for their amazing support to Jake and our family. The team at CARI worked extremely closely with Jake to help rebuild his trust, to deal with the flashbacks through play and guided sessions whilst also providing my husband and I with the tools to be able to be of best help.
“My Jake, my little innocent five-year-old, has now been a victim of Child Sexual Abuse and I wished I could have protected him.”
“Essentially the team at CARI provided vital support to our family to help bring us back together piece by piece.”
SHOCKINGLY, CARI’S WAITING LIST JUMPED BY 115% IN 2020 ALONE
An empty Therapy Room is a child sitting at home in pain and fear, and a family in anguish
That was 2019. It haunts me to think if this had happened during lockdown, that Jake might have to wait 5 years for vital therapy, and I dread to think of the impact this would have had on my beautiful little boy and our family because, unless they can raise vital funds, CARI’s waiting list is now 5 years long!
At CARI we have the facilities to help children like Jake but, unfortunately we don’t have sufficient funding. Therefore, we have called on Government for Emergency Financial Support during these very difficult times.
In parallel, we are launching an Emergency Funding Appeal to Raise €100k in 100 Days.
We very kindly ask for your support, so together we can ensure children like Jake get the help they need. We implore you to please support CARI’s Funding Appeal to raise €100k in 100 days so that families and children like Jake get vital support and therapy they so urgently needed to cope with the impact of Child Sexual Abuse.
Click the DONATE Button to support our campaign.
Should you wish to discuss any funding ideas or opportunities or Charity Partnerships, please email fundraising@cari.ie as we would be delighted to hear from you.
Warmest regards
The CARI Team