Inés is a community leader and mother in the “Nuevo Amanecer de Cerrillos” neighborhood in Chile—a woman who has faced great challenges throughout her life. Before moving to her current community, Inés lived in a situation of domestic violence at the hands of her ex-husband—a situation that affected not only her well-being but also that of her daughters. It was urgent for her to find a safe place to live—a space where she could protect her daughters and escape the constant danger to which they were exposed.
In the midst of the pandemic, Inés makes the courageous decision to leave her ex-husband’s home. Together with her daughters, they move to an empty lot with no infrastructure and no resources to build a decent home. Despite the adversity, Inés uses the materials at her disposal to create a makeshift shelter, fighting to ensure that her daughters have a techo their heads. However, that temporary shelter did not fully resolve the situation.
It was at that moment that Inés learned about TECHO, which not only gave her access to a decent and safe home but also helped her begin to understand the magnitude of the housing crisis affecting so many families in Chile’s camps. This new perspective inspired her to fight to improve living conditions in her community and to raise awareness about the challenges that so many families face every day.
With TECHO support, Inés set out to create a housing committee in her community. This initiative not only gave her a voice in her neighborhood but also a sense of responsibility and leadership that enabled her to transform her situation. Now, Inés no longer has to cover the floors with sheets to avoid contact with the dirt, and she can focus on leading community projects that improve her neighbors’ quality of life.
Today, Inés has a home of her own—a safe place where she and her daughters can live without fear. Thanks to the support of TECHO her own tireless efforts, she has managed to break free from the cycle of violence and poverty that threatened to drag her back down. Having found an opportunity to transform her life, Inés was also able to discover her calling as a community leader, becoming a role model for her community.
If Inés hadn’t made that courageous decision to escape the violence, she might have fallen back into the destructive cycle she feared so much. The lack of income and the inability to access decent housing would have left her family in an even more vulnerable situation, with no opportunities to improve their lives. However, her determination, along with the support of TECHO, allowed her to change her destiny and that of many other families.
Living in poverty makes it harder to break the cycle of violence. But Inés proved that, with the right support and the will to fight, it is possible to change one’s circumstances and open the door to new opportunities. Today, Inés has not only transformed her own life but continues to call on society to address the issue of the camps and the difficult situation faced by thousands of Chileans, migrants, and families from all over. Her fight for decent housing remains her driving force and her legacy in the community.