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For years, Noy lived in fear.Noy (name changed to protect her privacy), a mother of two from a remote village in Champasak Province, endured violence behind closed doors. Every day brought uncertainty. Every night brought anxiety. Like many women facing abuse, she felt trapped with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.“I worried constantly about my children,” she recalls. “I wanted to protect them, but I did not know how to escape.”In Lao PDR, many women experience physical, emotional, or sexual violence during their lives. Yet for those living in remote areas, support services are often difficult to access. For Noy, seeking help seemed impossible.Everything changed when she heard about a newly established Counselling and Protection Center for Women and Children in Champasak Province.Gathering the courage to leave her abusive situation, Noy arrived at the shelter carrying little more than hope.“I remember being terrified,” she says. “But from the moment I arrived, I felt safe.”For the first time in years, she found a place where she could rest without fear. The shelter offered secure accommodation, privacy, and a supportive environment where women and children could begin rebuilding their lives. Most importantly, she was welcomed without judgment.“The staff listened to me,” she says. “They helped me understand that what happened to me was not something I had to face alone.”Over the following months, Noy received counselling, legal guidance, and practical support. She participated in vocational training and gradually regained confidence in herself and her future. What once seemed impossible, a life free from fear, slowly began to feel within reach.The journey was not easy. Healing from trauma takes time. There were moments of doubt and uncertainty. Yet with each step forward, Noy became stronger. She began to believe that she could build a better future for herself and her children.Today, Noy runs a small tailoring business and earns an income to support her family. Her children have returned to school, and she is able to provide them with the stability and opportunities she once feared they might never have.“I never imagined I would be where I am today,” she says. “Now I can support my children and make decisions about my own future.”But perhaps the greatest transformation has been her confidence.Rather than hiding her story, Noy now shares it with other women facing similar challenges. Through community outreach activities, she encourages survivors of violence to seek help and reminds them that they are not alone.“If speaking about my experience can help another woman find safety, then it is worth it,” she says.Noy’s story is one of many lives transformed through the Safer Cities initiative, implemented by UN-Habitat and UNFPA with the generous support of the Government of Japan. Through survivor-centred protection shelters, counselling services, legal assistance, and livelihood support, women and children experiencing violence are given the opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.The initiative has also strengthened local capacity to respond to gender-based violence, working closely with the Lao Women’s Union, provincial authorities, health services, police, and community leaders to ensure that survivors receive the protection and support they need.For Noy, however, the impact is measured not in buildings, services, or statistics.It is measured in the laughter of her children, the steady hum of her sewing machine, and the confidence to look toward tomorrow without fear.“I am no longer living in fear,” she says. “I am living with hope.”Her journey is a powerful reminder that when women and girls have access to safety, support, and opportunities, they can rebuild their lives and help others do the same.And for Noy, that new beginning has already started to bloom.