Last week, my colleague and I presented the findings of research initiated by UN Women to design a trauma-informed model of women’s economic empowerment. The study was conducted in 12 shelters for survivors of abuse and shared at the validation workshop. For many survivors, shelters are the first safe place they find after escaping violence. These shelters are more than just a roof and food; they can become spaces of transformation, guiding survivors from survival to healing, to learning, and ultimately to earning and leading their lives. This journey is not simple, but it is powerful. It demonstrates how safety, emotional recovery, skill development, and economic empowerment must work together to help survivors rebuild their lives.

When someone escapes abuse, their first need is safety. Shelters protect them from danger, provide a bed, and offer food. But survival alone is not enough. Survivors often carry deep emotional wounds, such as fear, shame, anxiety, and sometimes physical injuries. Healing must follow safety. Without healing, survivors may struggle to trust others, to focus, to learn, or even to imagine a future.

Healing means more than medical care. It includes counseling, emotional support, and community engagement. Shelter staff are trained in trauma-informed care that helps survivors feel respected and understood. It avoids practices that might remind them of past abuse. Healing is about restoring dignity and hope. It is the foundation for everything that comes next.

Once survivors begin to heal, they can start learning. For children of survivors of abuse, learning continues after feeling safe emotionally and physically.  For adult survivors, learning includes life skills, confidence, and practical training. Shelters that offer classes, such as literacy or basic financial management skills, give survivors tools to rebuild their independence. Learning also helps survivors reconnect with their strengths as they develop soft skills. Many discover talents they never knew they had, and for others, the learning adds value by teaching them how to adapt their vocational skills to market them.

Learning is a bridge. It moves survivors from being dependent on shelter support to being able to stand on their own. But this stage is also proof that survivors changed from survival brain to learning brain, which also contributes to healing. Trauma can make concentration difficult, so healing should take place in advance. Survivors may need flexible schedules, trauma-informed teachers, and encouragement. A trauma-sensitive learning environment recognizes these challenges and adapts to them.  On another note, healing also occurs in the context of skill development as survivors engage their minds in productive activities.

The final step is earning. Survivors need economic empowerment to live free from abuse. Without income, they may remain vulnerable, dependent on others, exposed to exploitation, or at risk of returning to harmful relationships. Vocational training and income-generating projects are key. Shelters that connect survivors to jobs, microfinances, or small-business opportunities provide them with a path to financial independence.

But earning must be linked to healing. Economic empowerment without healing can cause stress or re-traumatization. Survivors may feel overwhelmed, pressured, or unsafe in workplaces that do not understand trauma. On the other hand, healing without economic agency can leave survivors dependent and exposed to new risks. The two must go hand in hand. Healing builds resilience; earning builds independence. Together, they create lasting freedom.

Globally, trauma survivors face many barriers to healing. Trauma affects mental health, physical health, and social relationships. Survivors may struggle with depression, anxiety, or chronic pain. They may find it hard to keep a job or manage a business. Social stigma can also block opportunities. Without support, survivors may fall into poverty or unsafe work.

This is why shelters must combine healing and earning. Economic empowerment without healing may push survivors into stressful environments before they are ready. Healing without economic agency may leave them stuck in a cycle of dependency. The balance is essential. Survivors need both emotional recovery and financial independence to thrive.

Around the world, survivors of abuse face similar struggles. Whether in cities or rural areas, trauma makes earning difficult. Survivors may lack education, face discrimination, or live with health problems. Economic systems often ignore these challenges. That is why shelters and organizations must design multidimensional interventions. Healing, learning, and earning must be connected. Only then can survivors move from survival to self-leadership. 

The journey is not easy. It requires patience, resources, and compassion. But it is possible. Shelters that embrace this path become more than safe houses. They become places of transformation. They help survivors rebuild not only their safety but also their dignity, skills, and independence.

Healing restores hope. Learning builds strength. Earning creates freedom and sustains the healing. Together, they form a cycle of empowerment. Survivors who walk this path can move from victims to survivors, and from survivors to leaders. Their stories remind us that safety is only the beginning. Proper recovery means healing hearts, teaching skills, and opening doors to economic independence.

Shelters play a vital role in supporting survivors of abuse by connecting them with community-based microfinance institutions, cooperatives, vocational schools, and self-help groups. By guiding survivors through healing, learning, and earning, shelters can help break cycles of trauma and poverty. Economic empowerment without healing can retraumatize. Healing without economic agency can leave survivors vulnerable. The two must work together.

Every survivor deserves the chance to survive, heal, learn, earn, and lead a life of dignity; a real path to change, freedom, and hope.  Together, we can help rebuild lives by working with shelters and supporting programs that guide survivors toward thriving.

Written by: Seble Hailu (Ph.D.)

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