Global Missions
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ATOP of MeaningfulWorld Team Returns From Haiti |
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ATOP of MeaningfulWorld Team Returns From Haiti:
Delivering Psychosocial and Spiritual Rehabilitation
Haiti - New York
March –April 2010
Dr. Ani Kalayjian & ATOP Team
Imagine you have no home, no running water, no electricity, and no food. Ten people from your family have been killed as a result of the earthquake. You are in shock and suffering from the after effects caused by these traumatic events. This stress-related condition is known as post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, which is a prime focus of ATOP’s post trauma healing.
The first team for the Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld witnessed many people in this dire situation. Well over 50% of Haiti’s population is suffering from these calamitous issues of survival. ATOP’s first team recently returned from Haiti after connecting with and orienting the second ATOP team from Canada, who arrived to continue the psychosocial and spiritual rehabilitation.
The first ATOP team spearheaded by Dr Kalayjian included: Julie Lira, movement therapist; Dana Mark, Clinical Social Worker; Ghen Zado-Dennis, videographer; and Ariana Reines, interpreter and worker with children. This team conducted a series of psychosocial rehabilitation programs to help the survivors recover from feelings of helplessness, fear, nightmares and uncertainty, which are normal symptoms after such a horrendous calamity. The ATOP team worked with teachers, orphans, adults and children in tent cities, hospitals, orphanages, and the community at large. They also trained Social Workers and Psychologists. The second ATOP team continued the work until April 6.
Presently, ATOP is concentrating on organizing the next team to be deployed to Haiti, and desperately needs your support to succeed in this humanitarian endeavor.
The catastrophic effect of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, has debilitated the country leaving over 250,000 dead, thousands handicapped, and 1.5 million homeless. The destruction is overwhelming but the people are resilient, ingenious, and religious, even though they are traumatized, displaced, dehydrated and in despair. The threat of disease looms overhead. The amount of care needed will increase as some have not yet been properly treated for injuries sustained in the quake. Preventative measures, such as vaccinations and condom distribution, will help stave off communicable diseases and viruses in the face of clean water shortage and the impending rainy season.
We learned first hand just how violent and unforgiving the rain is one night as it pelted the roof – it was as if someone was relentlessly whipping the roof. But we were fortunate to have a roof, unlike the thousands who did not have any shelter. The rain soaked tents, streets, clothing, food, and the people to their very core. However, the next day children still came to play at our art therapy tents, who were still damp from the rain.
The biggest observation we made about the relief efforts was the lack of a distribution mechanism for the supplied goods. We have all heard how the United States alone raised millions of dollars, but there were no evidence of it. We also know that the money is there, as we have been hearing about it raised being raised through concerts, celebrity events, schools, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, the United Nations, and others; all given with the good intention of helping the suffering people. We did not see any evidence of this money in Haiti. There was a lack of cleaning and clearing of debris, and not enough tents or shelters being distributed; we actually saw very little construction or rebuilding for that matter. The ATOP team saw no organized effort to create a system for distribution, except 10 – 20 hour waits on long lines, in hundred degree heat to collect some rice and beans.
The ATOP team was greatly challenged to focus on the Haitian’s psychosocial rehabilitation as the people’s basic needs were unmet. In the short term, it became obvious that the survivors needed sturdy, water-proof tents, access to both potable water and water for washing and cooking, and temporary toilet facilities. Even our interpreters had no tents. When we inquired, we found that tarps that cost $14 in the US were being sold for $20 in Haiti.
Haiti needs help with debris removal and a green system for garbage removal. The current practice of simply piling trash to fester near homes, hospitals, and markets, or burning it resulting in the release of toxins into the air, only serves to exacerbate health threats. In addition, survivors need a rotating volunteer pool of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists and other physical and mental health specialists, which needs to be maintained and sustained over the coming years. Our ATOP team took part in the staff meetings at the Community Hospital on a daily basis. These meetings dealt with all issues and especially focused on resolving any uncovered deficiencies.
As Ghen Zado said so eloquently, “In the long term, Haitian people need help revitalizing the rural agricultural base into a sustainable system, having standing homes inspected for safety, and training in techniques for building earthquake resistant structures. Even the orphanage we worked in, while serving as a shelter, had no mattresses on the metal cots and the ‘toilet’ in the sleeping rooms was so foul that it burned our nostrils. “
The ATOP team was very grateful for receiving many donated items. We had over ten luggages full of donations; however, we had to pay $150 to American Airlines for the extra weight. A shipping system must be quickly developed in order that small NGOs, or even individuals, are able to send supplies and tents for disaster relief , with the assurance that they will be received and disbursed and not hoarded, lost, or sold in the black market. This could be implemented by a foreign shipping company which could also provide jobs at the local level.
Haitians desperately need their education system improved. They need free and accessible education for all sponsored by the government. The ATOP team was told that only 20% of the school system was public, making 80% private. Haitians are in urgent need of educational campaigns to teach communities about disease and virus prevention, as well as earthquake preparedness, which will also stave off the spread of negative and frightening rumors. Relief workers, collaborating with local government and community rebuilding efforts, need to educate themselves on past abuses and political failures that have been transmitted generationally to the Haitian people so that these mistakes are not repeated, or worse, so that disasters are not exploited for foreign economic gain.
Lastly, the people of Haiti need a transparent and democratic Government, as they expressed tremendous distrust and hopelessness about their past and current Government.
The ATOP team also addressed the mental health needs of the local staff in hospitals, providing support in a cooperative and collaborative manner. They worked with children and adults in "therapy" tents near the hospital grounds, serving both patients and nearby community members. The children, in particular, responded very positively to having consistent play therapy sessions in the wake of school closings brought on by the quake.
The medical staff at the Haitian Community Hospital expressed gratitude for our presence and support, and thanked us for the training ATOP conducted. Atop presented a lecture on helping the hospital staff members to deal with their own trauma and disaster fatigue under the harsh conditions; as well as sharing information on how to protect themselves from Secondary Traumatization.
As Ms. Lira stated two weeks after she returned from Haiti with the ATOP team, “Haiti has become a part of my everyday thoughts. I wake up with thoughts of the people as much as the country itself, and before bed as my prayers roll out into the universe, I try to include as many specific names and people as possible, and when I can't remember, I pray the images of faces and destruction into a peaceful light.”
The Director of the Community Hospital stated: “Your presence is a tremendous gift for us and for Haiti. Many of our staff were traumatized and were unable to come to work. Now they come to work with a smile on their face, with a different attitude." Like a stone thrown in a lake or the vibration from a tuning folk that, although deaf to the ear continues on and expands further. Some Haitians struggled with the philosophy of expressing their feelings, not just men, but women as well. They wanted to just surrender to God, and move on. As Ms Mark stated profoundly: “Like a child, may the world help Haitians during their early development, (by teaching balance) facilitating their growth, without making them dependent. May love surround them and combined with the light within, guide them physically, psychologically, and spiritually.”
ATOP’s 7-step model was very instrumental in helping survivors express their feelings while others witnessed their pain and suffering. It gave them empathy, helped them move to learning from this traumatic experience. The lessons expressed were of humility, abundance, gratitude, compassion to family and community, acceptance of that which cannot be changed, and most of all caring for their environment, and not taking life for granted.
Haiti is in our minds on a daily basis. The sights of destruction, children’s eyes, the sound of children’s laugher and singing, the smell of the distinct Haiti dust mixed with sweat, heat, humidity, and burning garbage are etched in memory. We breath, think, feel and remember what we learned there. We remember what we witnessed and all that we helped transform, transformed us as well. Each and every team member had a profound transformative experience not only in Haiti but also when they returned from Haiti to the comfort of their own homes.
As Ms Lira said with tearful eyes “What I remember most was the touch of Alexandra’s hand on my cheek telling me that I was a strong girl too. After learning the word strong in French/Creole “Plu font” and incorporating it into a story for her about a strong girl on a great adventure, she turned that story into an opportunity to share her loss, showing not only that she displayed her strength, but that shared it with me. For a ten year old child who has lost so very much – parents, limbs, home - she still had more than enough to give in that simple gesture of reassurance. For this I will always be in awe, and I will return to Haiti to do my part.”
Haiti needs us, now more than ever! You can make a difference in the lives of these people. Please help us to help them and send your much needed donations to ATOP, a charitable, humanitarian, nonprofit 501(c) 3organization, www.meaningfulworld.com. Haiti is waiting for you…Haiti is waiting for us. Thank you for your donation.
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YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED!!! HAITI: ATOP Meaningfulworld Mission on Psychosocial Rehabilitation Port au Prince, Haiti on 10th March 2010: We have heard the dollar amounts raised and donated to Haiti after the catastrophic effect of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010, which has debilitated the country leaving over 200,000 dead, thousands handicapped, and 1.5 million homeless. First team of ATOP spearheaded by Dr. Kalayjian included: Julie Lira, Dana Mark, Ghen Zado-Dennis, Ariana Reines, just returned on March 20, 2010 after conducting series of psychosocial rehabilitation programs to help recovery from feelings of helplessness, fear, nightmares and uncertainty; as well as training Social Worker and Psychology students.
ATOP’s second team is working until April 6th; we are looking to form or third team. ATOP will continue to support the people in Haiti who do not know where to begin their life, weeping over the missing families, looking at piles of concrete hiding the uncounted dead bodies of their loved ones and fighting for life in a tent without food and water under torrent rains. You can help Haitian survivors get back on their feet. Make your donation today to ATOP of Meaningfulworld and see your donations used directly to heal thousands of people in need. www.Meaningfulworld.com 135 Cedar Street, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010 |
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Outreach Project to Haiti |
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ATOP Meaningfulworld Mental Health Outreach Project goes to Haiti Jan 2010 - Press release As most of us have undoubtedly heard and seen the catastrophic effect of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010, which has debilitated the country leaving over 200,000 dead, thousands injured, and 1.5 million homeless. Haiti’s economy, having been debilitated by political and social instability before the quake, is not well-equipped to deal with the magnitude of this disaster.  At this early stage, many news organizations, such as CNN have reported difficulties in bringing aid to the region as many of Haiti’s ports have also been destroyed by the quake, and its airport was not equipped to handle the large air traffic of incoming aid. Frustration and violence have added to the chaos, and basic supplies such as food, water, clothing and much needed medical care are sought. Stories of missing persons, survival and rescue plague the news. However, the human capacity to bring hope and charity to those in need during these tragic times has paved the way to an outpouring of donations and rescue and medical teams from all over the world: Doctors without Borders, The Red Cross, UNICEF, etc. Once the rescue efforts have subsided, relief teams have departed only then the planning for psychosocial rehabilitation begins. Haiti will be in need for psychological assistance to cope with the devastation. The loss of loved ones, the loss of limb, the fear of the unknown and what the future will hold for them, is a slow and painstaking psychological recovery process. The Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld, an international charitable organization devoted to fostering a meaningful, peaceful, and just world, is assisting the Haitian community in NY greater tri-state by providing phone consultations, PTSD briefing, consultations, and education. ATOP is also planning a mission to Haiti starting on March 10th 2010. We have over 15 volunteer professionals who have offered to join our three Missions to Haiti. We invite volunteers fluent in Creole and/or French to aide us in conducting trainings for Haiti’s mental health professionals as well as facilitating healing and processing groups.  This mission however, cannot be successful without your continued and generous support. The aftermath of a disaster follows a long and challenging rehabilitation process. We appeal to you and express gratitude for your kindness for your donation in providing psychosocial and spiritual help to the people of Haiti. Kindly send donations to (checks payable to ATOP): ATOP Meaningfulworld, c/o Dr. Ani Kalayjian. 135 Cedar Street, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010-1003 www.meaningfulworld.com |
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Sponsor a Child In Armenia Project |
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Meaningfulworld & ATOP Sponsor a Child In Armenia Project:
Partnership with the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
Children in Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, and Pakistan are also waiting
ATOP created a partnership with FAR (The Fund For Armenian Relief) to assist in bringing early identification systems/ preventive care initiatives into place. The mission of FAR is to provide preventative services for children and families who are struggling with issues of abuse, neglect, and family economic crisis, in order to keep families together and prevent children from being institutionalized (FAR). Many of the children and families who are brought to FAR’s attention are suffering from physical and sexual abuse, on the threshold of abandonment, and or lack of family support systems.
Since the early 1990’s economic and social disruptions within country have led to a rapid decline in proper family structures, this has in large part led to many children suffering from abandonment and abuse, which in turn has increased the amount of children in institutions (World Vision Armenia). Children in Armenia experience many of the same challenges that children around the world do: abandonment, abuse, economical hardships, and family disruptions, the government’s major response to these issues continues to be institutionalizing these children. There are many factors that have contributed to the continuing practice of keeping children in institutions, the following are several of the most key: limitations of government social policy, deficiency of financial resources, shortage of educated staff (educated clinicians are migrating in large numbers to seek financial income elsewhere), and public perception of the issue lack of preventive services, gaps in referral mechanisms in data collection, and analyzing as well as lack of knowledge and motivation amongst governors.
The Fund for Armenian Relief Children’s Support Centre Foundation is seeking to aide these children in need through donations from you. The center currently houses about 100 children. The center serves as a school as well as offering services from a certified psychologist, occupational therapist, art therapist and teachers. There is a great need to further support these children, most usefully through a monetary donation. The major need is for systems and structures to be put into place that would allow for early identification and intervention in these types of situations, and ultimately prevention. Your donation of $250 would allow a child to go to school and receive an education that is so important. Please send your checks made out to ATOP Sponsor a Child and mail it to Dr. Kalayjian, 135 Cedar Street, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010-1003. |
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From Meaningfulworld Mission to Sierra Leone
"Smile for Sierra Leone :) ...as they smile for you, despite their tragedy."
Dr. Ani Kalayjian, Founder ATOP
Walking through the streets of Freetown, Bo, Gobaru, & Pujehun in Sierra Leone one witnesses the horrors of the evil war from 1987-2000 which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, houses burned, parks destroyed and enormous damages to the countries infrastructure. Most of all this devastation on the surface does not seem to have destroyed the indomitable human spirit, and the monumental commitment to serve that its native people portray. Meeting and working with Sierra Leoneans, one would easily feel at ease as their warm smiles, kind hearts, and honest approach is ever present. On first introduction, you would not know what they hold courageously inside. Once one begins engaging deeper with the survivors, talking with them about their experiences of war, their loss, anger, fear and uncertainty loom large in the silence between each story and the emotions provoked in the telling. Suppressed anger is rampant, with jostling brother-to-brother mindless atrocities, mutilations, and killings. Fear and uncertainty is evoked when relating to the future. Statements such as “perhaps they say fearfully, the war could happen once again, soon" is heard frequently.
Meaningfulworld’s Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention (ATOP), organized and implemented by Dr Kalayjian and the US team, is the first Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Outreach Project (MHOP) of 2009. MHOP’s goals were to assess the psychosocial and spiritual needs of the surviving community and to train outreach teams in three towns; to conduct collaborative mental health research; to define and access underlying tensions and to address the needs of the surviving communities in Sierra Leone. The research goals were to assess the levels of distress as compared to the levels of forgiveness.
We express our gratitude to the collaborators in Sierra Leone, including Njala University, campuses in Freetown and Bo, The Psychosocial Network, and Saving Lives Through Alternate Options (SLAO.org). The first Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Outreach team for Sierra Leone comprised of Dr. Kalayjian, Dr. Ken Suslak (Child Psychologists), Rev. Dana Mark (an interfaith Minister), Julie Lira (Art and Movement Therapist), and Gen Zado-Dennis (Videographer). The team was also joined by Judith Lahai-Momo the Director of Saving Lives through Alternate Options, a US based non profit organization working in that region. The Njala University Chancellor Prof Rhodes stated to the MHOP team, “Your arrival and your work in Sierra Leone is very timely, as the signs of violence are still erupting all around us. Your teachings and trainings will be invaluable for us and your continued collaboration in future projects is much needed.”
The first two days were spent assessing the physical and human destruction. The next two days the team was busy giving intense two-day training to the community of faculty and students in Freetown at Njala University. The team traveled next to Njala University both in Njala, as well as to the main campus in Bo for training at the Community Health Center. Then the MHOP team traveled to Gobaru and Pujehun to work with children, adolescents, and adults using draw-and-tell art therapy techniques, and movement therapy.
As Rev. Dana Mark affirms: “The trip to Africa was full of the contrasts of challenge and success. When I think about it deeply, it was and continues to feel like an emotional balancing act, stressful, sad, but full of laughter, hope, empathy, and meaning, combined with compassion, love, patience, personal growth and much more..”
The preliminary findings of the assessments done by the team indicated high levels of Post traumatic stress disorder (70%) in adults and children, and 35% in the local mental health professionals and psychosocial rehabilitators.
The following were themes that were consistently expressed by the survivors: destruction, horror, killing and mutilations. Horrific accounts were expressed one after the other. One survivor’s three siblings were beheaded and their heads delivered on sticks; another survivor’s aunt was publicly crucified and then set on fire; a third woman survivor, who was at the time a 14 years old adolescent was raped publicly and repeatedly ridiculed and humiliated; and a fourth survivor was sold to a Nigerian Peace keeping soldier and forced to have children by him, finally managing to escape the horrors several years later. These experiences caused feelings of enormous sadness, grieving, anger, shame, humiliation, frustration, fear, and uncertainty in the survivors.
These expressions of survival further humbled the team and filled them with admiration for the enduring spirit of the people before them. Julie Lira put it so well when she reflected, “Africa was beautiful and horrific all at once. I have to say the things that I will treasure the most from my trip are the beautiful people of Sierra Leone, their stories, and seeing their God light through their eyes; I so admire their resilience in spite of all that they suffered and endured.”
Lessons learned were: Importance of their family support, that everyday living is a survival, the value of serving others, desire and hunger for education, and the value of forgiving. As for the Meaningfulworld Team, lessons were multiple. According to Julie: “I learned the human spirit is a strong thing that if accessed can guide us all thru a lot of trauma, and I will never forget the poverty, the lack of basic necessities. How in one moment man can do this much harm to another man over greed is abhorant. But most of all that the power to make changes lies within each one of us.” According to Dana the lessons were of gratitude and appreciation: “We (on this side of the world) do not realize how wonderful it is to have running water, flushing toilets, electricity and paved roads...thank you, thank you, thank you.. We also do not have the pleasure of knowing how beautiful it is to live off the land, growing our own fruits and vegetables as well as catching our dinner.” Ken Suslak, expressed these lessons: “Above all, humility, awareness of one’s limitations and strengths in making a difference, the power of forgiveness when accompanied by social justice, the value of compassionate listening to these stories and the need to share them with the world.”
The MHOP team has established the following groups within Sierra Leone: Green Future for SL (BO branch) to address environmental needs of their communities; a mens group to encourage expression of feelings and for promoting inner peace, Meaningfulworld club to promote peaceful community where people are moved by love, forgiveness, unity, while celebrating differences and most of all service to humanity.
Future collaborative goals were set forth with Njala University, Meaningfulworld, and Fordham University. This collaboration will start with 1. Internships and externships 2. Fulbright exchanges 3. Telesupervision 4. Collaborative research 5. Collaborative publications and 5. Policy improvements.
Challenges for growth are ever present as Sierra Leone is dealing with multiple issues since a post war recovery that began in 2000. Many of the global humanitarian assistance stopped since the war had ended, but the country needs continued guidance and support. Many of the international NGO’s have left the country, and not much of recovery has taken place. Corruption is rampant, poverty continues, infrastructure is very poor, illiteracy very high, lack of basic human needs is shocking, specifically lack of running water, electricity, cooking gas, paved roads, public transportation, just to name a few.
Meaningfulworld has succeeded in its mission by: 1. Providing opportunity for release of emotions and provide opportunities for awakening; 2. Provided empathy and validation; 3. Helped survivors recover or discover lessons learned for self growth, empowerment, and meaning-making; 4. Established several groups to promote Meaningfulworld’s mission; 5. Helped share the value of forgiveness; 6. Sponsored a project for improving the Njala University Library; 7. Provided survivors with hope and with the ability to reframe their experiences; 8. Provided the surviving community and its local rehabilitators with new and healthier tools for stress reduction through assertiveness, movement, and meditation, 10. Provided them with resources, books, web links 11. Provided them with models for cooperation and 12. Sew seeds of service to the surviving community.
The Meaningfuworld Humanitarian Outreach team was welcomed home by Vice President of Development, Georgina Galanis who empathically observed: “I did hear the joy reflected in your emails ...the sadness for loss of human value through the devastation of war, the gratitude for what we all have here, and the hope we can all be, when we share as a common human value and aim, "To live a good life in love multiplied and shared". So happy to hear you have returned safe and blessed....I can’t wait to see you all and hear your stories...sending you all admiration for your commitment realized. I wish you all rest and rejuvenation.”
The team will be disseminating their work through publishing, research, DVD, locally, nationally and internationally. We invite you to continue to "Smile for Sierra Leone" as they smile for you despite their tragic history ..... and please don't hesitate to send your generous donations to be part of the change you want to see. The work has just begun in Sierra Leone, we need to continue it, and we need your unconditional and genuine involvement and support.
Changemakers, committed service professionals and laypersons wanting to join our Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Outreach missions upcoming in 2009-10 please register for our 7 month certificate training. |
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