My name is Eva. I am 39 and a single mother to four beautiful children. I went through a painful and emotionally abusive relationship for 9 years. My ex-husband introduced me to illegal substances and demanded sexual favours for the monthly maintenance of our children.

The darkest abyss of my life was in 2010. I was jobless, penniless, and homeless. I reluctantly sent all my children to live with my ex-husband as I couldn't afford the maintenance. I spent my nights at bus stops, void decks, and parks. I felt lost and useless. I wanted to end my life with 20 sleeping pills, drugs and a razor, but was caught and incarcerated for 9 months. Upon my release, my appeal for a rented flat was approved. But it was a huge struggle to get back on my feet.

I came to know about SPIN through a good friend. I was at first sceptical of the counsellors and volunteers there. Instead, I had never felt so much trust, support, empathy, and for the first time, genuine happiness. I learned about self-compassion, acceptance and was motivated to stay afloat at the lowest point in my life. They helped change my perspective of life by being positive. SPIN went beyond just being there for me. They also helped me land a job with my current employer.

I am blessed to have the SPIN team in my life, who helped turn my life around. I managed to win custody of my youngest and eldest daughters, and I continue to work hard to rebuild my relationships with all my children, and to be a better mother to them.