My Nonprofit Reviews

As family members of someone who was being abused by their spouse in a foreign country, we were totally helpless. There was no organization to assist our loved ones - a sister and her children. People think that the local US Embassy will send a person home if need be. Not the case in most instances. She eventually made it out alive with all children intact (except for the emotional and physical trauma they all suffered). Having no formal organizations other than family support systems back home in the USA, Paula Lucas founded what is now Pathways to Safety International to help others who were once in her shoes. She started from the ground up and learned how to navigate being home and the court systems slowly and tediously. We shared in her experiences and those of her little ones and tried to protect her from her abusive spouse, who stalked her and tried to find them on numerous occasions. The organization has changed over the years, becoming better with each update. The organization has won awards for the wonderful work they do. They now have safety planning, relocation services, counseling and housing availability and more. We donate regularly to assist and encourage others to do the same, especially if you have a loved one traveling to a foreign nation.

Since this is the ONLY organization on the planet that does what it does, it deserves recognition. Americans who live overseas rarely have resources to leave a domestic violence situation - this organization gives them safety planning and other resources to get them to safety and sometimes are able to return them to the US. Many people believe the Embassy's take care of these issues but that is not necessarily the case. AODVCC also educate people here about the risks of leaving American soil. I certainly know what it is like to have a family member in a violent home thousands of miles from the US - there is a sense of helplessness and hopelessness - with AODVCC there is HOPE and HELP!

When an American leaves America, she is basically on her own. If this American lives with an American or foreign boyfriend or spouse, she is basically on her own. If this American is being abused by her American or foreign boyfriend or spouse, she is basically on her own. There are few resources to assist in foreign countries. There is ONLY ONE organization that assists worldwide, and that is the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center.
There was NO assistance when the founder of this organization needed help. There was no one to advise her of her options when the founder needed that advice - not even her family could help. When she finally escaped a foreign country on her own, Paula decided to do something that had never been done before - help other American women and children who faced similar circumstances to her own. This organization is a Godsend to Americans everywhere. They inform the victim on many fronts and are sometimes able to get them home. They do this with little funding and careful planning and budgeting. Any financial help to this organization would be appreciated.

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I was abused by a former boyfriend many years ago - fortunately, I lived in the United States where there are services available in most cities. The founder of AODVCC had NO resources in the foreign country where she lived, even after going to the US Embassy nearby. She had to figure out a way to leave the country with three small boys and hope she could make it to safety before her then husband found out she was gone. With just enough money to get her to a relatives home, it took three days for her to arrive safely with her children in tow. Finding that she would have to fight in the court system to keep her children in the US, she decided to start the WORLD's ONLY organization that assists abused women and children (and men too) who live in foreign countries. They assist with the vital information the abused person needs to try to survive until they can leave their abuser. They assist with pro bono services once they arrive back in the US and sometimes temporary housing. The ONLY place where someone can get ALL the services they need - like one-stop-shopping! Kudos to this wonderful woman who has managed to provide vital, lifesaving services to Americans all over the world.

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The founder of this organization tried to return to the US with 3 small children and was surprised to learn that her resources were non-existent. On her own, she figured out how to leave their abuser and come home to the US. Here, she also found that resources were limited, and for some services, non-existent. So, she decided to change all that - starting with a laptop purchased by a family member for her, she started a web presence, and a few years later was able to start a toll free crisis line that would be available from 175 countries. All this was done on a shoestring budget - today, with some government funding their services have increased, but at the same time, with outreach, their hopeful client base has increased almost exponentially. Continuuing funding is required for this organization to assist those in need.

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