Rebuilding Self-Confidence: Ann Martin helps survivors of domestic violence
Ann Martin wants her students to know that their education is something that no one can take away. For Martin, having an education "will allow them to walk away from a job or a relationship because they will have the tools to survive on their own."
Watch the interview with Ann Martin
Martin, associate professor of accounting, has been working as a volunteer with SafeHouse Denver nearly as long as she has been with the university. Since 1996, she has been developing and providing instruction to survivors of domestic violence. Working with Judy Carrier, director of counseling and advocacy services for SafeHouse Denver, Martin provides an eight- to 10-week course every Saturday morning for three hours. These courses are designed to give the participating women an entry-level education in the principles of running a home-based business and, more importantly, to help build self-confidence.
SafeHouse Denver arranges and pays for all the expenses associated with the courses. The women are given class supplies donated by local businesses. In the program's early days, funding was acquired from a grant to establish a microfinance loan operation, giving applying graduates of the class a $500 low-interest loan. Those who made the monthly payments consistently were eligible for a $1,000 loan. For the last two years, SafeHouse Denver has received a grant from the Allstate Foundation that enables them to provide a new Dell laptop to every woman who attends and completes all the classes.
Out of the roughly 150 women that Martin has worked with at SafeHouse Denver, as many as 90 either have established their own small business or have gone back to school. Martin doesn't expect all of them to walk out and start their own businesses. "What we are trying to do is give them the tools and confidence so that when they find the right opportunity, they will be ready."
Many of the women who seek the services provided by SafeHouse Denver need the skills and self-confidence that will allow these survivors of domestic abuse to become economically self-sufficient. Martin's efforts provide a way for survivors of domestic abuse to claim their right to a life free of violence and the self confidence to act.
