Kirsty

Kirsty is 3. And already suffered abuse in her own home.

Like many children in Ireland, Kirsty was the victim of extreme poverty. Sadly, she was the victim of other more disturbing family circumstances too.

Kirsty suffered physical and sexual abuse in her own home.

Social services removed Kirsty from her parents care for her own safety and placed her with a foster family.

She hid away in fear…

When Kirsty came to Barnardos she trusted no one. She lived in fear of all adults, even her project worker Maria. Day after day, when she came to Barnardos, Kirsty would crawl under a table clutching on to her battered old teddy bear to hide away from the world she feared.

Kirsty saw adults as people who were not to be trusted.

Because of the terrifying and traumatic ordeal she had suffered, Kirsty had come to see adults as people who were not to be trusted. After weeks of trying to connect with Kirsty without success, Maria feared she would never get through to this little girl who had experienced such pain and suffering.
Maria knew she had to keep trying and not give up.

So one day she picked up one of her favourite story books, lay down on the floor beside the table where Kirsty hid and began to read aloud. As the days went by, Kirsty began to show interest in the story. Maria encouraged her to come out of her hiding space to hear more of the story. One day she came out and stayed out. Over time she began to talk to Maria and then to the other Barnardos staff too.
Gradually, she began to trust people again.

Her future is now bright…

Through Barnardos specialist programmes, Kirsty is being supported to overcome her ordeal. She is also participating in our Early Years programme to make sure she gets the best preparation for starting school next year. Working together, Kirsty’s journey to a brighter future has begun.