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It takes three minutes, and the information you learn may help save a child’s life.

Visit ProjectSeeMeSaveMe.com and watch the video. It was created with the vision to reach children suffering in silence – children who are screaming inside for someone to notice them as everyone in their life passes them by, going about their own busy lives.

And it’s a new fund-raising project of The Dragonfly House Children’s Advocacy Center in Mocksville.

Children want the world to make sense. They grow up hearing that the big people are in charge and they need to obey. They instinctively look to parents and caregivers to fulfill basic needs and the instinctual desire to be loved and feel secure.

Abuse from those who were supposed to protect them does not make sense. There is no way it can. As a child, the need to feel loved and secure is shattered as they are abused by those who were supposed to keep them safe.

After all, they were taught that Mom and Dad are in charge and by assumption, always right. In innocence, and in desperation to make sense of the world, children who are abused often assume that they must be the ones who were wrong, and therefore they deserve the harsh treatment they are receiving.

“No matter how badly a child behaves, no child deserves to be beaten physically or abused sexually”, says Brandi Reagan, executive director of The Dragonfly House.  “However, in the mind of an abused child, it makes sense for them to take on those emotions of blame, shame, and guilt. They convince themselves that they are so bad that they deserved this abuse. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.”

Believing that the abuse was their fault allows a child to have some control in their emotions. Admitting that they are not to blame, and they did nothing wrong means they would have to realize that there is nothing they can do to stop the abuse or predict when it is going to happen again, which leads to feelings of terror and helplessness.

If a child unconsciously believes the abuse is “my fault” and that “my horrible behavior” caused the abuse, they can hold onto a false hope that they might be able to prevent the abuse by becoming “invisible” or by being a good boy or girl.

“Healing comes when we help kids acknowledge that the abuse was not their fault,” said  Sheria White, community educator at The Dragonfly House. “Healing comes when adults take the time to actually see the children in front of them who feel like they are invisible.  Healing comes when we see the children drowning in their emotions caused by abuse, and when we work together as a community to SAVE them by extending a life jacket so they can cling to hope for a future free from the abuse and violence that put them in the deep waters to begin with.”

The Dragonfly House, with the community’s support, acts as a life vest to a drowning child victim.  These life vests do cost; however, The Dragonfly House does not ever charge the child or their non-offending family for any service.

One in 10 children have been, are being, or will be affected by sexual abuse before their 18th birthday.  The Dragonfly House has provided services to more than 3,500 children in Davie, Davidson and surrounding counties since opening its doors in 2010.  These services are for boys and girls, ages birth through 17, who have experienced any form of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or have witnessed violence.

The services provided include victim advocacy, court advocacy, forensic interviews, child abuse medical examinations, mental health treatment, coordinated case review services, and community education. The Dragonfly House also offers free trainings to the public about recognizing, reporting, and responding to child abuse.

Rene Crawford, development director, said she is excited to launch this initiative and believes it will save lives.

“We don’t know what we don’t know,” she said. “If you will watch this three-minute video at ProjectSeeMeSaveMe.com, you will know what you need to know, in just three minutes.  You can teach others; you can educate yourself and you can be a supporter of The Dragonfly House so that the hope and healing can continue. Please consider supporting The Dragonfly House with your donation to ProjectSeeMeSaveMe.”

Learn more about The Dragonfly House on Facebook, by following them on Instagram or by visiting www.thedragonflyhouse.com.