19/10/2026
Sometimes, the true impact of our work is felt years later.
This touching story from SOAR reminds us that supporting families goes far beyond responding to immediate needs. It is about building relationships, walking alongside families through life's challenges, and nurturing hope for the next generation.
A young man's gesture of gratitude, nine years later, reminds us that kindness and care can leave a lasting impact.
These are the moments that remind us why we do what we do. 💜
If this story touches your heart, we invite you to support SJAF. Your kindness can help us continue walking alongside women and their children as they rebuild their lives, offering hope, dignity and the reassurance that they are not alone.
With His First Salary, He Remembered SOAR
More than nine years ago, a mother of five young boys came into the life of SOAR at the St Jeanne Antide Foundation. Left without the support of her husband and his family, she faced the overwhelming task of rebuilding her life while caring for five children, including twins.
She had imagined a different future.
She would tell us how much she had wanted a beautiful, large family, raising her children alongside her husband. She had never imagined that everything could change so suddenly, leaving her to start again with five little boys depending on her.
Over the years, there were countless occasions when she needed support. Some remain especially vivid: moments when she found herself without essentials for her children, yet continued to put their needs before her own.
We saw the daily effort behind that commitment. Whether she was well or unwell, she got up, prepared her boys for school, cared for them through illness and worked to meet their needs. There was little room to stop when five children needed their mother.
Through the Foundation’s long-term assistance and SOAR’s ongoing support, we walked beside her. We watched her children grow, and our relationship grew with them.
In time, this mother also became a SOAR volunteer. At our gatherings, she is among our most dependable kitchen helpers, offering her time and care to the same community that has supported her family.
Then, just a few days ago, we celebrated another milestone: one of her sons started his first job.
Education has always been part of our conversations with him, and we hope further learning remains part of his future. For now, we shared his pride in taking this step into working life.
What he did with his first salary moved us deeply.
After helping his mother and brothers, he asked his mother to buy food and cook a meal for our support group.
When they visited our offices, he told us proudly that we were part of his family. He could not receive his first salary, he explained, without thinking of us. He wanted to thank the women who had stood beside his mother and helped him grow.
Through the years, we had become something like aunties to him.
There were tears. In our memories, we could still see the little boy we had known. Standing before us, however, was a gentle young man choosing to care for his family and give something back to his community.
His gesture reminded us why long-term support matters.
Much of SOAR’s work happens quietly. The privacy and sensitivity our service requires mean that many of its most meaningful moments are never seen publicly. Behind that discretion are years of listening, mentoring, practical help and relationships that continue through difficult periods.
SOAR supports women survivors of domestic violence who are no longer at immediate risk but continue to struggle with its aftermath. Leaving abuse can be followed by years of financial hardship, trauma, isolation and the demands of raising children while trying to recover.
Our role is to walk beside these women as they rebuild, recognising their strengths and helping them find steadier ground. Supporting a mother also means caring about the children growing alongside her.
This young man’s kindness belongs first to him and to the mother who raised him with such devotion. We are proud to have been part of the community around them.
To the boy we watched grow: thank you for remembering us. Thank you for reminding us that the care offered quietly over many years can take root in ways we may only see much later.
It takes a community to help children grow. We are honoured to be part of yours.
We are SOAR at the St Jeanne Antide Foundation, and we are proud to walk beside families like yours.
Fondazzjoni St Jeanne Antide
