LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month – a time when advocates across the country come together to spread hope and awareness about the abuse affecting millions of people.
The path to safety can be difficult to navigate for those experiencing abuse, but the partnership between a central Arkansas non-profit and business strives to get rid of any roadblocks.
Jajuan Archer, the founder of Women’s Own Worth (W.O.W), thinks through some of the questions a person might ask themselves while preparing to escape domestic violence: “Is the person going to follow you? Can I go to work? Are my children safe?”
With the help of community partners, W.O.W. empowers victims of domestic violence and survivors of violent crime to regain their self-worth. LKQ, Corp. sponsors the mission.
“To help Women's Own Worth, that will empower the community and in turn the community will thrive,” LKQ sales manager Morgan Blair said.
LKQ is donating auto parts to clients served by W.O.W.
“It's not just a car part. It's a life they are saving,” Archer said.
One woman will receive a light kit, another will receive a new transmission.
“If they have a part fail, [Jajuan] calls us. We'll get it for them and get them back on the road,” Blair said.
A safe place to call home
According to Archer, 47 people in Arkansas lost their lives to domestic violence in 2017.
“It’s just getting higher and higher, and it has to stop,” Archer said.
Women’s Own Worth is working to raise money for its first transition home – a safe place for those with nowhere else to turn.
“We have been donated two acres of land in Saline County and so our goal is to have 10 homes for people leaving shelters or just people that have suffered a crisis and they need to leave their home to live there up to two years,” Archer said.
She projects the first home and its first year of operations will cost $250,000.
W.O.W. is raffling a Louis Vuitton purse with proceeds going toward the transition home. Click here for information on how you can buy a ticket.
The Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7. You can reach help by calling 1-800-799-7233. Anyone in the midst of a life-threatening emergency should call 911.