Are you a victim of domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, bullying or have had a mental breakdown? Then you will know what it is like to hit rock bottom, to feel like there is nowhere to turn and no place to go. As such a victim, you will need all of the support you can get.

That’s why it is so great to hear that a mother-of-three has taken steps to offer her own support to encourage such victims.

Business analyst Sandra Nelson has produced her own song on YouTube and is hoping one million people will listen to it. As a pastor’s wife and the founder of LiftEffects.org she is no stranger to standing on a public platform, but she does not consider herself to be a professional singer. Despite this, she is so moved by the plight of such victims that she overcame any nervousness to write and record her song “We Rise” as part of a campaign to end domestic violence and abuse of women and children (see the link to it below).

“I am not a singer, nor do I consider myself to have the best voice, but I have written these words and made a song out of them because I understand the power of music and hope that it will carry the message intended. It is not about the sound of my voice but about the message to the wounded and it is sung by an amateur, me,” said Sandra, who launched her song at the fifth annual “The Extraordinary Lady Speaks Conference and Star Awards UK” in Croydon on June 23rd, 2018 to break the silence.

“I hope these encouraging and inspiring words will help the healing process of people that may have suffered from all sorts of abuse, bullying, rape, domestic violence, injustice or may have had a break down due to what they have experienced, to know that they will always rise and stand.

“‘We Rise’ is LiftEffects’s domestic violence/abuse awareness campaign song. For everyone who clicks the video or downloads it, it’s their chance to break the silence and to stand together in a bid to end domestic violence and abuse against women and children.

“I hope “We Rise” will encourage any wounded souls who play and listen to it. I trust it will help them to stand again. Sometimes they may not always have people to tell them what they need to hear or have someone with them, but as they get a hold of this message in music it will be in their soul and in their minds and will help them know they can survive what they have been through and stand again.”

Few people know that an estimated 1.9 million adults aged 16 to 59 years experienced abuse in 2016/17 (according to March 2017 Crime Survey for England and Wales). Of these 1.2 million were women and 713,000 were men. Also nearly half a million adults are sexually assaulted in England and Wales each year, according to Rape Crisis. This is the equivalent of 11 rapes taking place each hour.

The words of “We Rise” say: “They may think I will never make it, they may think I am not good enough or even laugh at me, I still stand. No matter what they say to me, no matter what they do to me or even think of me, I still stand.”

Dr. Karen Johnson, who survived domestic violence herself, has welcomed Sandra’s song. She said: “Living a lie is draining, fake smiles and my life was fake, I was in pain and I lost myself and soul with every word and it broke me daily. Encouraging words in a song, as everyone listens to music and relates to it, will help the healing process.” Dr Johnson is the author of “Out of this Corner.”

Onyinye Chukwunyerenwa, an advocate on the prevention of child sexual abuse and domestic violence, said: “Music is a very powerful healing tool which oftentimes gets to the root of the problem and I, therefore, have no doubt in my mind that this song will be a valuable resource for the victim of abuse.”

Sandra added: “My aim is to get every single person listening to this song and every media houses playing it to encourage some people out there because a lot of people are going through so much that I hope the words from this song will just lift them up. I want to make it the number one song in the world because it is more than a music, it has an inspiring message that I hope will act as a constant reminder to every single person, no matter how they feel or what they have been through, or are still going through that they will always stand.”

The author of this blog has not been paid anything to publicise Sandra’s song. I have included this story in Sally’s Christian Blog because I support her cause!

To hear Sandra’s song, ‘We Rise” on YouTube click this link.