Of all the cases of child abuse we hear about, the ones that sadden us the most are those where the abuser is the child’s mother. She’s the one person – above all others – that a child should be able to run to for comfort, reassurance and unconditional love. Not someone to be terrified of.

We still don’t know exactly what Jacob’s mother did to him. He was completely traumatized and unable to talk about his experience when he first came to us. We do know that he has a visible scar, caused by a rope around his neck. We believe his mother tried to strangle him.

If it wasn’t for the quick-thinking action of his school principal, Jacob could well be dead by now. She suspected he was being physically abused by his mother and called Child Welfare. The authorities investigated and the young boy was taken away from his mom and ultimately placed in our care.

He is receiving counselling from our social worker and has begun his journey to healing. But it is a long, slow process to recover from being hurt by your own mother.

Jacob has a long way to go. And, with support from friends like you, we’ll be beside him every step of the way. Together, we can help heal the hurt, and fan the small spark of hope into trust and belief in a brighter future.