No More Tears "Lets Go Bollywood"

March 7, 2015September 25, 2015 Spotlife Asia 700 Views #Domestic Violence, #NMT, #No More Tears, Somy Ali

No More Tears, a non profit organization which was founded in 2007 in a fight against Domestic Violence is marking its 8th anniversary this year. While other organizations would mark such a milestone as a celebration, the mere fact of the need for its existence can contest to the severity of Domestic abuse in today’s society. NMT will be hosting “Lets Go Bollywood” to mark its 8th year on March 27th.

SpotLife Asia sat down with Somy to talk about all things No More Tears which a cause dear to her heart.

“I started NMT because I grew up in a home of severe domestic violence in Pakistan and was exposed to a great deal of violence from a very early age,” says Somy Ali, a former Bollywood actress

No More Tears provides a voice for those victims who suffer from the devastating cycle of violence by providing legal services and cognitive therapy, to job training and driving lessons, No More Tears, or NMT, empowers survivors of abuse to become independent and self-reliant. To date, NMT has rescued more 1,000 men, women and children.

NMT depends on its volunteers and the valuable partnerships it has formed with local business owners, providers of services such as legal advise, job training and other vital needs for a fresh start, whats more is that all members of the organization including Ali work without salary. NMT also has a crisis line that is attended to at all times.

“What makes us exceptionally unique is that we do not have waiting lists,” Ali says. “The process of being on a waiting list is quite typical of domestic abuse shelters, as they always tend to be full. We do not have a shelter, but we provide an immediate safe space through our partnerships with hotels.”

No More Tears expanded its mission in January of 2014 to work with children who have special needs that have come to the U.S. seeking medical treatment. No More Tears assists these families in obtaining visas, job search, applying for food stamps, medical assistance for their children, physical therapy classes, and many other services.

What’s the future for NMT? Do you see expanding beyond FL?
NMT does not have the means to work outside of South Florida at the moment. Our work is strictly reliant on donations and unless we attain consistency in donor ship, it is hard to expand our services elsewhere. We also run differently in comparison to other non-profits in terms of the model of empowering victims. Our services are extremely hands-on and we give victims the tools to obtain independence rather than just giving them a place to stay or temporary fixes.

What’s the #1 struggle you face ?
Our biggest struggle is funding. For some reason people are reluctant to donate to this cause. Maybe because we are unable to show the victims majority of the time. And people are more likely to donate to someone they can see and know their story. It is tough to generate funds for our mission in spite of no one being on a salary and a large percentage going directly towards victims’ services programs.

A personal message to anyone who needs help but scared to ask?
Anyone that is in a domestic violence relationship, please know that there is help for you. There is more than just a place to stay. There are avenues you can take through NMT to make you independent and empowered. Most importantly, if you are undocumented and threatened of being deported by your abuser, please know that this is just a threat and not the truth at all. We are an email or a phone call away if you need help. We will be with you from the beginning to the very end of your empowerment stage. Please reach out to us and give yourself a life free of violence.

No More Tears has well wishers and celebrities alike such as Madonna, Fergie and Salman sporting the offical NMT shirts in support of its mission. Anyone who donates to the cause receives their very own shirt as a “thank you” gift.