When Even Milk Powder Was Out Of Reach

By then, Aishah had already endured years of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse before leaving the marriage. One assault even left her with a concussion. “My then husband pushed me so hard that I flew across the room,” she recalled. “My head hit the floor and I kept vomiting afterwards.”

The abuse did not end there. Her husband’s repeated affairs left her emotionally shattered. “After his first affair, I took him back because I didn’t want my children to grow up in a broken family,” she said. “When it happened again, I was devastated. I felt so alone, with no one to confide in.” At her lowest point, Aishah attempted suicide. Although her children had never been physically abused, they had lived with the fear and uncertainty that violence brought into the home. In moments of distress, Aishah would break down and her children would comfort her, even wiping away her tears.