By Valentina, volunteer on the LAWRS helpline and on the Psychotherapy Team as Administrator.

My two years as a volunteer at LAWRS were an incredible adventure full of growth, personal and professional development, connection with my community and empowerment. I had followed LAWRS for some years prior to joining, but at the time I did not have the time or capacity to volunteer, so I finally did when I had the time to do it. It was wonderful to find a team that was ready to welcome, support and train me.

As a helpline agent volunteer -a challenging but very fulfilling role- I learnt about the needs of the women in our community, how we can help them, but also how to more actively listen and have empathy with personal boundaries. All this whilst having a great team of volunteers to share the experience with, as well as a team who supported me throughout.

After having spent a few years out of the workforce to focus on my family, it was so great to find my confidence again in an organisation that cared for me at a professional and personal level. I also joined the counselling team as an admin volunteer, and it was so rewarding to support the team who do such an important and wonderful job at supporting women through the different challenges they face. I was able to hear first-hand how grateful the women who go through counselling are, what a difference it makes to their lives giving them tools to navigate and cope with whatever they are facing.

One of the highlights of my years at LAWRS was the Women’s March in 2024. It was my first women’s march, and it was so wonderful to walk and speak up with thousands of women from different organisations about a cause that is so important to me: women’s rights and empowerment. It made me feel part of something bigger and made me proud to be a Latin American woman. I will miss LAWRS and its people, and will carry them in my heart always. Thank you for such wonderful and fulfilling two years.