It has been eighteen years since my marriage with three kids and an alcoholic husband who never understands or hears what I say. I have been a victim of domestic violence for as long as I can remember. It has been two years since I’ve seen or talked to my parents. My husband feels they are the only ones I care about because I helped them get a loan they couldn’t repay. The moneylender is now nagging us for the same. I don’t know why it is selfish to help your parents after marriage. One should not marry, especially a girl, if she is not independent. Some are lucky, but most girls I know leave behind people they love only to find happiness that doesn’t exist. It sets you up for a lifetime of misery, especially if poverty becks at the door.

Refresh is the new hope in my life, my attempt towards independence and freedom. And I hope it empowers me enough to stop the same thing from happening to my daughter.

– Minu