I FOUND HEAVEN IN PRISON
Alexandra grew up in the middle of a dysfunctional family, she is the oldest of seven siblings and was abandoned by her father. When she was old enough to try to look for him, she discovered that he had been killed.
Her life as she describes it - with a trembling voice and watery eyes - was chaos. At the age of 12 she did not lead the life of a normal girl. She began to get high and drink. She lived on the streets and spent 5 of the 7 days in a week drunk.
When her mother tried to lock her up and discipline her in her own way, Alexandra tried in many ways to leave that life... but she couldn't. She began to steal, not knowing that this future would be the door for her chaotic life to change course.
At the age of 17, she was arrested. She assalted a couple with their friends. In the middle of the robbery she realized that she was alone and they caught her. She had finally hit her rock bottom and was taken to the juvenile correctional facility of Conocoto, where she would meet the people she now calls angels.
'I felt and thought I was the worst scum, the police repeated it to me.
They told me that I was never going to change''
Casa mis Sueños, more than 15 years ago visited the correctional facility in their Libertad project. They carried a message of hope and joy, brought food and shared many experiences with the imprisoned young people.
Alexandra describes the girls who visited her as angels, despite the fact that when they arrived she did not pay attention to them or denied the hugs and love they gave her. Feeling affection again in the purest way made her feel uncomfortable.
With great shame she says that they tried to sentence her to four years because the boy who was assaulted when she was caught had been injured.
She mentioned, "I didn't know how long I was going to be locked up. I thought I wouldn't ever get out, but on Monday, September 25th, the director of the correctional facility called me and to my surprise I heard the words, "You can go free." and it filled me with immense joy."
She cried tears of happiness for being able to get out, but she also felt a deep sadness for the other girls who stayed. She left with nothing and was left to start over alone.
When she got home, she opened the door and saw the only person who never stopped fighting for her...her mother. She threw herself into her arms and cried. In this moment she felt free and pure.
Once free, she was intimated by the responsibility and was not sure what direction to follow. All of the options began to torture her and swirl around in her head, feeling overwhelmed. It was then suicidal thoughts began to appear, reminding her of the mistakes she had made and the damage she had caused.
One day she looked on Facebook for the foundation that visited her in the correctional facility and with suspicion and fear she contacted them.
Just in time. The Casa mis Sueños project was about to start.
This project is a rehabilitation program of several months that the foundation offers. It is conducted in an established safe house where they provide workshops and provide physical, emotional and social support for all women who have been victims of sexual exploitation or imprisoned. This program offers them opportunities, something they may never have had.
Finally, Alexandra decided to go. If she considered the girls who visited her were angels, this program she knew would have to be a "mini heaven".
"I ate things I never ate! I met incredible and wonderful people, they loved me, they hugged me, they didn't look at me ugly."
After several workshops, laughter, crying, games and activities, Alexandra began to have something that she thought she would never have, hope. She began to dream. She left the program with the goal of graduating and finding her way to a better life.
Today Alexandra is 25 years old and graduated in podiatry. Casa mis Sueños paid for her studies while she was in the program. She is passionate about seeing her customers satisfied with the work she does and glorifies God in her services.
When talking about her daughter, her face lights up and her eyes shine. Alba, her little girl, is the first light of day and the first face she sees when she gets up.
"I see her and it makes me want to be better every day.I want to change the story, I don't want what happened to my mom to happen again. That my daughter has a stable home, with her parents loving her."