W.E.H.
Weh means two in my indigenous language. Why two? So not a single warrior mama is left to fight alone. We are a non-profit–mission is to accompany expat mamas that have been victims of domestic violence on foreign soil and face custody battles abroad.
How we help:
- Emotional Support and accompaniment
- Fundraising for legal fees
- Translation and writing services
- Resource library
- Advocating for change via the UN, Central Authorities, local judges, child protection agencies and GALs.
How you can help:
About:
Hi, my name is Chandler Malomlus Paa’ayat Stump. I founded Weh but, as a non-profit, Weh belongs to all of us mothers who are fighting to survive post-separation domestic abuse and misogyny. Weh means ‘two’ in my indigenous language, Payomkawichum. I chose this special word to define the nature of our efforts as a non-profit. Most mothers and their children living abroad that suffer from domestic abuse find themselves feeling completely alone, unprotected, and in a state of panic. Their gut screams for them to flee and run back to their home country for safety. But most of us can’t, at least not legally. Why not?
In 2019, I was pregnant and living with my then-husband and the now father of my child in Catalonia (Spain), isolated from my family and home state, California (USA). I chose to start a family with this man–a Catalan local–in Spain, but I didn’t choose to be abused and coerced. During my pregnancy and postpartum, I experienced psychological abuse, and, more specifically, at 3 months postpartum, he shoved me backward and the left side of my body banged against the wall radiator. Within hours, I was at the police station with my infant son in my arms, and I filed a police report against him in a language that I still wasn’t speaking or understanding fluently. I found myself alone and crippled in anxiety and fear for nearly 6 months. No one around me could even begin to understand the sheer panic that assaulted me during many restless nights. I wanted to run away and hide with my baby. I wanted to guarantee our safety because the local courts couldn’t and wouldn’t.
6 months into my worst nightmare, while racing for the answers to how I would find safety, I came across Michelle Monasky’s horrifying story. Reading it, I was immediately struck by this unknown term “the Hague Convention” and its direct implications on mothers fleeing across country borders with their children in search of safety in their home countries.
I reached out to Michelle and was met with open arms by not just her, but by a handful more warrior mamas like me, who had fled or wanted to flee the country they were foreign to after suffering domestic abuse against them, their children, or both. I finally felt heard and understood. My tears were met with compassion. I was no longer walking this journey alone.
This is the mission of Weh, that no mom finds herself walking this journey alone.