Escaping Childhood Abuse: A Story of Resilience, Advocacy and Hope Ft. Nimali Kumari w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

Childhood trauma can cast a long shadow. In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this powerful episode featuring Nimali “Nimmu” Kumari, author of The Caged Girl: A Journey to Justice. After surviving years of physical and sexual abuse in her home starting at age seven and escaping family violence at eleven, Nimmu spent more than 15 years in foster care in Sri Lanka. Determined not to let her past define her future, she pursued journalism, and went on to co-found Asia’s first care leaver network, Generation Never Give Up, which now supports hundreds of young people transitioning out of institutional care.Together, we discuss:Nimmu’s personal journey as a survivor of childhood abuse What it means to grow up in institutional care and the challenges of “care leaving”Stronger child protection and care leaver rightsTurning personal courage into a global movement for care leaversIf you’ve ever wondered how someone can rise from profound trauma to become a beacon of hope for others—Nimmu’s story will inspire you.00:00 Preview01:44 Introduction 02:54 About Nimali (Nimmu) Kumari05:10 Nimmu’s book, The Caged Girl: A Journey to Justice13:10 How Nimmu found true love at the biggest protest in Sri Lankan history17:56 How Nimmu found the courage to open up about the abuse she faced at home22:16 Nimmu’s first night in a Child Care Institution28:32 How Nimmu transformed her life through poetry31:22 What is World Children’s Day?34:11 A care leaver’s advice: Never give up on yourself37:29 What the world gets wrong about children in care40:32 How being raised in care shapes childhood47:15 A message of hope for care leavers around the world51:48 Nimali Kumari’s Purposeful Empathy storyCONNECT WITH ANITA✩ Email [email protected] ✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.socialCONNECT WITH NIMALI✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimali-kumari-b69b9b86/✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nimmu_kumari/ ✩ FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/nimmu.nimali.kumari SHOW NOTES✩ The Caged Girl https://www.amazon.in/Caged-Girl-Journey-Justice-ebook/dp/B0FSDV5ZFH Video edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio