Why The EVE Project
The EVE Project: Our Why
We believe every woman deserves to live with dignity, safety, and purpose.
The EVE Project was created because too many women who have experienced abuse are left without the long-term support they need to truly heal. While crisis services exist, many women find themselves stuck, moving from one short-term solution to another, without the time, space, or care to rebuild their lives.
We saw the gap. And we stepped into it.
Our program was designed to be different. It’s not just about recovery, it’s about transformation. We walk alongside women for a full year, offering therapeutic support, life skills, vocational training, and a nurturing community. We believe healing happens in safe relationships, and that every woman is worthy of care, opportunity, and hope.
We exist to break cycles of trauma, of welfare dependence, of isolation, and to help women reclaim their futures.
“When provided with the right blend of education, support, environment, people and time, remarkable transformation occurs. It is literally like watching people come back to life.” – Helen Dwyer, Program Founder
The EVE Project: Our Story
The EVE Project began in the Illawarra region of New South Wales in 2019 with a clear and compassionate vision: to support women who have experienced abuse to rebuild their lives with renewed self-worth, value, and purpose.
To bring this vision to life, the team launched a 12-month healing and employment program that offered therapeutic support, life skills development, and real-world work experience. Alongside this, they created a hospitality-based social enterprise called EVE & Co, where women could gain confidence, community, and practical skills in a safe and nurturing environment.
After two years of navigating the challenges of COVID-19, it became clear that the project needed a new home to grow and thrive. In 2022, Hopefield embraced the vision and adopted The EVE Project, ensuring its future within a values aligned organisation. Helen Dwyer, one of the original founders, now leads the program at Hopefield, continuing her heartfelt commitment to walking alongside women on their journey of healing and transformation.
Evaluation
In 2022, with support from The Big Sister Foundation, The EVE Project was able to undertake an independent evaluation to better understand the impact of its pilot program and to guide its future development. After three years of delivering trauma-informed support to women recovering from abuse, the team recognised the importance of gathering objective, evidence-based insights into what was working, and why. The evaluation provided a rigorous review of outcomes, participant experiences, and program design. It was a vital step in ensuring the program’s integrity, improving its effectiveness, and building a strong foundation for future funding, partnerships, and expansion.Thanks to the generous support from the Big Sister Foundation The EVE Project evaluation results were results were extraordinary:
- 80% of participants achieved their personal goals, including employment, study, and improved wellbeing.
- Women reported significant improvements in mental health, including reduced depression, anxiety, and stress.
- The program helped break cycles of trauma and welfare dependence, with several women moving into meaningful work and education.
- Participants described the experience as “life-changing”, with lasting impacts on their confidence, relationships, parenting, and sense of purpose.
“The EVE Project changed my life. I never thought I could work again, but now I do—and I’m hopeful for the future.” – EVE Project Graduate
The EVE Project: Stories
The heart of The EVE Project lies in the women who have walked through its doors. Their stories speak of courage, transformation, and hope. Through their own words, we hear how the program helped them rediscover their strength, rebuild their lives, and believe in a future they once thought impossible. Here are just a few reflections from women who have been part of this journey.
Its difficult to find the words to adequately or eloquently express what the eve project has meant to me and done for me. At the very foundation it has been a safe space/place in my life. For the first time in my life there has been a constant safe and reliable place and people. The EVE program has equipped me with pragmatic and practical tools and skills to move forward and embrace being a creator.
eve Project participant
I had to learn to be comfortable with the unfamiliarity and discomfort of such things as the notion that I matter and that I’m not alone and that it’s all right to ask for help. I now have hope and I’m working towards being employed in a field I’m passionate about even more so, I truly hope to have my own business venture successfully thriving. I must give back, and in doing so, I choose life. I choose me. Thank you Hopefield, for the EVE program.
eve project participant
Who would’ve known that joining this EVE program would save my sanity, my heart and my life by means of re-introducing me to myself again through various levels of safety never before experienced.
eve project participant