Katina came to the IWH with her small son. Originally from Russia, Katina was shunned by her husband’s family for being bi-racial. Her husband started abusing her when they were living in Russia, but escalated when they moved to the U.S. Irina came to the IWH shelter physically bruised and mentally traumatized. Her dreams were simple: go back to school and to be able to independently support her son. In addition to our core services, we helped her get educational scholarships and financial aid.
A year after, one of our staff members was hospitalized. When she woke up, she realized that the nurse that had been taking care of her was Katina! Katina had successfully become a registered nurse, was financially stable and independent, lived a safe life, and her son was happy.