The news is full of images of refugees lately – men, women, and children fleeing from war-torn situations and desperate for help. The need is immense and overwhelming. It begs the question: What can we do?
I’ve found that answer close to home, with an organization that has been helping survivors and refugees for more than 20 years.
On Friday, October 23, I will be the keynote speaker at the Hope and Healing Gala benefiting the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma. Since the early 1990s, the St. Louis-based center has been helping people manage the symptoms of trauma so they can heal and adjust to a new life and make meaningful contributions to society.
We need to help those who want a chance to move beyond the tragedies in their past. Survivors, who simply want to live life with hope and meaning. Doesn’t everyone deserve that?
Read this story to understand why I help the center.
Eric described himself as a “walking ghost” when he first met Jean Abbott, the founder and a therapist at the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma.
When trying to rebuild his life and find work in St. Louis, Eric began having flashbacks of his torture. Noises and people triggered him into feeling like he was back with the perpetrators who beat, starved and electrocuted him. His status in the U.S. at risk, he felt “emotionally paralyzed” with no hope for his future if he were to be returned to Togo.
When he met with Jean at the center, Eric felt safe for the first time. She was able to connect with Eric and helped him through his hopelessness and pain. She helped build his inner strength, his spirit, and lessened his trauma symptoms. Eric began sleeping through the night, which helped his fatigue, concentration and memory.
He successfully testified at his court hearing and was given asylum in the U.S. He is working now, taking legal steps to bring his family to the U.S., and is full of hope for his future.
Escaping to a safe place is only one step in a survivors’ journey. With your support, we will help the center bring them the rest of the way to a life of hope and meaning.
For more information, visit www.stlcenterforsurvivors.org.
Benjamin Ola Akande is president of Westminster College.
