Photo of Kelaya and her two-month-old baby Marcus in San Francisco by Julie Michelle.
Kelaya's story is a poignant one. After fleeing an abusive husband, she's struggling to house and care for three children. While numerous social programs and shelters in San Francisco are designed to help in such instances, those shelters currently are full and social workers are unable to offer immediate assistance. Kelaya and her family have little choice other than to wait.
Meanwhile, Kelaya attends domestic violence classes and makes sure the two older children get to school and after-school programs, as well as necessary doctor and dentist appointments.
Soon, Kelaya will begin receiving assistance, including a small monthly stipend, food stamps and health care. But until she met my friend Julie (Tangobaby),sadly, begging on the street was Kelaya's sole option to pay for a room and food for her children.
As Julie says, "...until she can find a stable home and work, anything we can do will help her and her family immensely. Kelaya doesn't smoke, drink or take drugs. But she had a husband who almost killed her ... and it's taking all of her strength and bravery to get through this difficult time."
To learn about many ways you can help Kelaya, please go here. If you can't help financially, there are several other opportunities to assist Kelaya, not least by sending email to help boost her morale. Please direct all messages for Kelaya and any offers of support to tangobaby2@gmail.com. A Paypal link for Kelaya has been set up at Tangobaby. Thank you!
Photo of Kameko taken by her brother Dorian.
Dorian appears to be an excellent photographer! :)
Posted by: Di | 27 April 2009 at 10:45
I shared the Tangobaby link on my blog and personally with lots of colleagues. I hope Kelaya and family will be soon safe and secure. What an eye opener as to how fortunate we really are and what we can do to help those in less fortunate circumstances.
Posted by: Se'Lah | 26 April 2009 at 22:44
Thank you, angel friend. I hope to have more good news for you soon! xoxo
Posted by: tangobaby | 24 April 2009 at 16:37
I am proud to call both of you, friend. I hope to reach some people through my blog.
xo
Posted by: Christina | 23 April 2009 at 21:09
Hi Tara,
Julie did send her link.
Thank you for posting about Kelaya here.
You are both angels!
We ALL need one another!
xox
Constance
Posted by: Rochambeau | 23 April 2009 at 19:57