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Guma Esperansa gets federal grant
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Posted on May 22 2006
Guma Esperansa received yesterday a $45,000 grant from the federal government.
Deputy Assistant Interior Secretary David Cohen, who heads the Office of Insular Affairs, and Federal Ombudsman Jim Benedetto presented the grant to the community service program.
Led by Karidat, Guma Esperansa provides shelter for victims of domestic violence.
“We wanted to support the efforts of Karidat. We also wanted to highlight the issue of domestic violence, to make people know that there is a place where women can take shelter from abusive relationships,” said Cohen, who visited Saipan yesterday.
He said the grant came from the CNMI Initiative on Immigration, Labor and Law Enforcement. The initiative provides funding for the Federal Ombudsman’s Office, which ensures that the rights of foreign workers are protected.
As a center for battered women, Guma Esperansa also takes care of children affiliated with these women.
The shelter has opened its doors to victims of domestic violence since September 2001. Women can stay at the shelter with their children. Shelter stay is voluntary.
