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Single Indonesian mums draw on communal strength

Konradus Mangu, Jakarta

Konradus Mangu, Jakarta

Updated: July 12, 2010 10:28 AM GMT
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A woman carrying her baby dries tobacco in the sun in Indonesia. One of her fellow Indonesian women who was raped and later gave birth to a son says she rebuilt her life after joining a single mother community started by Good Shepherd nuns.
A woman carrying her baby dries tobacco in the sun in Indonesia. One of her fellow Indonesian women who was raped and later gave birth to a son says she rebuilt her life after joining a single mother community started by Good Shepherd nuns.
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An Indonesian woman who was raped and later gave birth to a son says she has managed to rebuild her life after joining a single mother community started by Good Shepherd nuns. “When I firstly joined the community and told other members the difficult situation I was in, I realized I was not the only one. Many were in a similar situation, others even worse,” said Michaella Liany. After she was raped, she shut herself away, did not attend Mass and was afraid of being mocked by people her neighbors. Her employer fired her for no reason after she gave birth to her son in September 1999. She initially thought about having the baby adopted, but later decided to raise him herself. She has since had to rely solely on family and friends for support. “Talking with the community’s members made me realize that what I went through was the work of God,” she told ucanews.com following a Mass organized by the community on July 11. The Mass was held in the Good Shepherd nuns’ chapel in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, and attended by about 150 members. Liany now lives with her 10-year-old son and mother. “I want to share with others my life experience, because I do not want them to go through what I did,” she said. Maria Monika Purwanti, a community coordinator, said the group offers Catholic single mothers, especially unmarried ones, a way of finding renewed strength. Good Shepherd nuns, concerned about the wellbeing of Catholic single mothers, started the community in September 2008, she said. The community holds regular programs including psychological counseling for its members in Jakarta as well as in Bali and Makassar. Related report Church-run shelter gives hope to single mothers IJ10386.1610

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