According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of safety is, ‘the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk or injury’.
As you enter Casula, a women’s shelter near Aljezur, there is a sense of calm and quiet ‘doing’. To one side of the property is a farm, part of the Associação Comadres, where people tend the land, growing vegetables and local produce. There are dedicated gardeners sowing seeds and cultivating plants. The farm hosts a weekly market on site every Wednesday, and events are programmed throughout the year for the local and wider community. It also feeds into an apothecary indoors, where the sweet scent of dried herbs lingers. The path that leads you here passes through a garden and a wooden building where workshops and classes take place.
It is in the main building where people gather, borrow a book from the community library, sample homemade cake, drink tea and receive a supportive ear. Step inside a little further and you enter a sanctuary, the heart of Casula. A protected place for women to rest, heal and transform.
In Portugal, domestic violence is a ‘public crime’, and provisions and processes are in place to help women who are victims of abuse. One can file a case with the GNR and receive support from organisations like GAVA. At Casula, the doors are open to those considered low risk to the authorities, but still at risk and in need of help, a way out of their current circumstance and into a protective and healing space. This could be a woman who is displaced, in a relationship suffering emotional or physical abuse, coercive control or economic abuse. Women from any background can find themselves vulnerable and at risk.
Founded by Lorie Solis (main photo), Casula is a non-profit organisation offering shelter and expertise in trauma-based therapy. Lorie is dedicated to serving others. She believes in the healing power of a supportive community, being surrounded by nature and integrating nutrient-rich, nourishing food for health and wellbeing. Taking inspiration and learning from ancestral tribes where an economy of sharing of resources exists – food, water and other basic necessities – Casula focuses on creating a strong foundation for a healthy community, along with a commitment to providing shelter. “Everyone deserves to live with dignity, beauty and hope,” says Lorie.
The shelter has six beds and can accommodate women and their children for up to four months. Upon entering the accommodation, one can sense the love and care for others. A welcome pack for children is laid on a bed’s pretty, patterned duvet. There is a kitchen and two bathrooms, and the furniture and soft décor are arranged for comfort. Cooking utensils, food and toiletries are provided. During the early days of a woman’s recovery, these simple things most of us take for granted can feel like a warm embrace, the first step in self-care.
The hope is that , as time passes, the women will gradually gain confidence and begin to rebuild their lives. Of course, each of them has individual needs, with their own story and personal set of challenges. There is no one treatment that fits all, but through the Casula network, social care and counselling are available with access to legal experts and therapists. Each woman is supported to find paid or voluntary work and gain independence. Working on the farm is not compulsory, however putting one’s hands in the soil and nurturing seeds and plants can be therapeutic. Most importantly, Casula is a non-judgmental space that supports rehabilitation and growth, helping women know they are not alone or at fault, that they are safe and valued parts of the community. That they are welcome.
If you (or someone you know) are based in the Aljezur concelho and are at risk as a result of abuse or violence and in need of shelter, then you can complete a self-assessment questionnaire via the Casula website or call the number below.
+351 961 685 623 (Mon–Fri,10:00–17:00)
In an emergency, always call 112
