To tackle homelessness we have to listen – listen to those who have experience of rough sleeping, living in slums, or being a refugee. One of the best ways to achieve this is to tell a story: a story of homelessness, or of a homelessness project, or of a volunteer.
Oscar Romero famously encouraged us to be the ‘voice of the voiceless’.
Check out some of the stories we have already uploaded to our website, to get an idea of how you can write your story. And ask us any questions you may have if you want any help! Good luck!
The “13 Houses” Campaign keeps growing: more lives transformed across Africa
Homelessness and poverty continue to be pressing issues. However, the Vincentian Family's dedication and love for people experiencing homelessness is making a significant impact, spreading its reach to multiple countries and touching the lives of many people in need....
Favor, survivor of human trafficking, talks about her sad experience
Testimony from a survivor of human trafficking assisted by the Daughters of Charity, Kumasi If you feel able to share, how and when did you first become involved with the traffickers? My name is Favor, I am 16 years old. I got involved with my trafficker on...
Protecting Ghana’s vulnerable girls from human trafficking
The World Day against trafficking in persons is observed annually on July 30th to raise awareness about a crime which affects millions of people worldwide [1]. Human trafficking is a violation of human rights involving the exploitation of individuals for various...
Renewing hope: accompanying people who are refugees on their journey
A mother bends down to bury her own child, killed by the violence of war. A family mourns in pain after losing their home destroyed by the bombs. Dozens of people killed as a boat sinks off the coast. A father hopes to soon reunite with his daughter and wife,...
From Ghana to Seville: Doris’s journey, a mother, a friend, a sister
My name is Doris Agyapomaa, I am 24 years old, and I am from Ghana. I have a baby named Raymond, who is 16 months old. He was born in 2022 in Seville. I was born into a Christian family with eight siblings. I remember living in extreme poverty, and not all of us could...
The Cry of Street Children across the World: How the Vincentian Family is Responding
Poverty affects everyone including children, in fact, they are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than adults[1]. Poverty is not only economic but is multidimensional, affecting fundamental rights including education, adequate housing, and access to drinking...
Protecting Children’s Rights in the Netherlands
According to recent figures published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS)[1], 209,000 children in the Netherlands are living at risk of poverty, with their parents earning a salary below the national low-income threshold. The ‘Team against Poverty’ in Tilburg – with the...
By word of mouth, the 13 Houses Campaign “travels” to new countries
The 13 Houses Campaign keeps growing: with the launch of the call for proposals on 30 August 2022, we witnessed the Vincentian desire to strengthen a ‘network of charity’ for homeless people that goes beyond geographical borders. The objective of the call was to...
Diaries of a Vincentian: Brazil
"The 13 Houses project is much more than the provision of a house; it is giving someone a space in which they can feel like a child of God, a human being and a citizen who has the right to a place to call home." M.F.S, 57 years old, widow, 3rd grade education. She...
Diaries of Vincentian: Perú
"Get on my motorbike" This story takes its title from the name of a beautiful love song by a famous band from 80s.In our caseit tells the story of a family - young parents and their two children- who, after living on the streets, now have a decent place to call home....
Five Top Tips on Writing a Case Story
Here are five tips on how to be that voice and engage your reader in your writing:
The Scene
- what can you see?
- what are the sounds
- what are the smells?
Details Matter
For example,
- what is someone wearing?
- what is the weather like?
- what day is it?
The Personal Picture
If you are writing about a person, it is best to get direct quotations from them. Write down what they actually say, and write how they actually say it. Obtain some information about their life – where have they come from, what are their likes/dislikes, what are their aspirations? This will connect the reader to the individual.
The Big Picture
Connect the personal stories you tell with the big picture.
For example,
- How widespread is homelessness in the area you write about?
- How many people does the project you write about help each day?
This means the reader can understand the scale of the issues you describe.
Photographs
A picture can tell a thousand words! Good quality photographs are really important to complement any story you write. Try and use a camera but a smartphone is also OK! When taking the photo, are people are looking at the camera? Make sure to take lots of photographs so you can pick from the best, and take them from different angles. And when you send them to us – make sure you select the size over 1mb, otherwise, they will be grainy.