Our Work

ATOP Meaningfulworld’s Intern volunteers in Jungles of Peru Connecting with joy and gratitude By Danielle Caminneci DanielleCaminneci@gmail.com Gracefully awoken by two monkeys swinging on my mosquito net, I gaze up at the recently sun-lit sky and take my first stretch in the jungle of Manu. Standing up off my mattress, I look around at the empty beds, tie up my net, slip on my flip-flops and grab my towel with the ambition of bathing before its time to set out on our plant monitoring adventure. I without hesitation begin my first journey alone to the waterfall. Slippery rocks, ankle deep creeks and sinking mud make my bare feet more reliable than my flip-flops to trek in. A rejuvenating 15 minutes of deep breathing, careful and quiet walking later I begin to hear the sound of cascading water; after climbing up the last muddy hill, I hop in to the perfectly nature-constructed pool and slither towards the falling sheets. Once standing beneath them, I can hardly help but to shout with excitement and nervousness. This was when I first knew that a week of jungle conservation volunteering was nowhere near long enough. The opportunity to volunteer in the Jungle and learn about plants, animals, survival and about myself was an extraordinary experience that I would relive without hesitation. But when first considering traveling to volunteer I had specific goals in mind. I was looking to help in the field of mental health in another country, so I would be in the best position to observe how the interpretation and treatment of those with abnormalities varies through cultures. Social norms, family traditions, sexual norms, parental styles and family dynamics all vary throughout the world, and with them the study of psychology conforms. There are happy people all over the world, and I find it very interesting the different qualifications people have created to obtain happiness. Through the International Volunteering HQ (IVHQ) organization I was given the opportunity to volunteer my time and my energy with a child psychologist in the city of Cusco, Peru, and on an ecological reserve in the jungle of Manu, Peru. Arriving in the Cusco airport, I was greeted by a volunteer coordinator Maximo Nivel, IVHQ’s partner organization in Cusco. We taxied our way to the volunteer headquarters where I was introduced to volunteers from all over the world. We were each taken to our prospective living quarters for our time in Cusco. “La Florida”, the name of the volunteer house in which I stayed, was truly a comforting and reflective environment. It was a blessing to live with eighteen volunteers of all ages who each spent a good portion of their day volunteering in different areas of the city, doing various projects; from construction, orphan care, afterschool care, nursing home care, to working in a hospital; then come together for dinner every night to share stories and hopes. The house staff was phenomenal, making three meals a day for us and sharing any information that would be helpful to know in our new city. Getting to my volunteer placement was a wonderful experience. Catching the bus on the corner of “La Florida” and travelling fifteen minutes with locals to the hospital definitely helped me to improve my Spanish and gave me a glimpse into the everyday life of a hardworking Peruvian. San Juan Di Dios Clinica, the hospital that I spent everyday of the week from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM was the home to all ages of physically and mentally disabled individuals. A staff of four nurses caring for some thirty people immensely appreciated the help of the five or six volunteers that Maximo Nivel had assigned to them. Evelyn, the psychologist I was partnered with, had her office right outside the hospital. Every day she would see eight patients for 30-minute sessions. The patients varied in ages from four months old to about seven years old. Most of the infants had a form of sensory processing disorder, problems locating sounds, reacting to touch or visual stimuli and paying attention. The older children’s disorders were, for the most part, more developed and noticeable; Down syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & Autism were common among the patients ranging between the ages of four and seven. A few of the patients were born without limbs; with these children we focused on teaching them to push buttons with what vestiges of limbs they had (while reciting the colors or animals they were pressing). Some were unable to coordinate their movements, with these children we stretched their feet and hands, taught them to clap, catch, take steps, and wave; things people tend to take for granted. Being an undergraduate student of Psychology, I am not taught the hands on aspect of caring. But being an intern with ATOP of Meaningfulworld we are always reinforced the value of mind-body-spirit. Spending a few weeks with Evelyn taught me about play therapy. I learned that a lot of repetition and demonstration are necessary when doing puzzles and using colorful lights to cause visual and auditory stimulation. With the younger children, I learned how to physically stimulate them with massages. It was often a struggle getting the children to become present in the moment; because of this we used a lot of toys that created loud noises, plastic clapping hands, singing pianos, and instructional music were a few of our most used tools to get their attention. Massaging the faces of those with Down syndrome was especially important I was told, in order to improve their muscle tone. Not being able to have in depth conversations with Evelyn due to my inability to express myself in Spanish and hers in English, lead me to be an attentive observer. By watching Evelyn, not only did I learn the physical movements of successfully demonstrating a play therapy session, I learned probably the most important lesson someone in the field of psychology could learn; Love is essential & universal prerequisite to all healing. The language barrier

ATOP of Meaningfulworld is preparing to assess the mental health needs of Japanese community post devastating earthquake and its aftermath. Kindly send your financial and spiritual support. Japan Earthquake 2011: 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits, 30-Foot Tsunami Triggered TOKYO — A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan’s eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control. Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor’s cooling system failed. Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake’s epicenter. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster. The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said. “The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference. Looking somber and stoic, the 77-year-old Emperor Akihito said the problems at Japan’s nuclear-power reactors, where authorities battled to prevent a catastrophe, were unpredictable and that he was “deeply worried” following an earthquake he described as “unprecedented in scale.” “I am deeply hurt by the grievous situation in the affected areas. The number of deceased and missing increases by the day we cannot know how many victims there will be. My hope is that as many people possible are found safe,” Akihito said.

ATOP Humanitarian Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Post War Rehabilitation and Recovery Post Trauma Healing, Empowerment, Transformation, Training and Supervision Pre-press release 2011 Few countries have seen the amount of violence that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen in the past decades. Since 1996 the fourth largest African state has seen wars with its neighbors, civil wars, and other forms of violence that have proliferated immense poverty and famine, an AIDS/HIV epidemic, increasing rape rates and gender intolerance. The International Rescue Committee estimated that over 5.4 million people have died from the prolonged conflict, that Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times says is being “ignored” by the international community. The vicious cycle of hate and fear seems almost unbreakable for the citizens of the DRC. Our organization, The Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningful World, a New York based international organization affiliated with DPI of the United Nations, devoted to fostering a, just, peaceful, and meaningful world, has collaborated with many organizations to bring rehabilitation programs to Sierra Leone in March of 2009, and over 29 other humanitarian empowerment, educational, and rehabilitation programs around the world including Haiti. Our mission to DR Congo will focus on the city of Bukavu, home to nearly half a million people, including 500 displaced children. We are collaborating with the Peace Center there, as well as Université de la Paix, refugee centers, and hospitals in the area. We will be working with vulnerable groups of children, women who were raped in the war, refugees and older adults. We have the experience and expertise to make a difference. ATOP team members that will be traveling to Congo are: Dr. Ani Kalayjian – Founder and President of ATOP. Dr. Kalayjian has devoted her life to bringing healing to those who have survived the devastation of disaster. Dr Isidore A. Udoh is a postdoctoral fellow at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, and Jennifer De Mucci – Vice President of ATOP, holds a Master’s degree in psychology. Our goals are to help survivors heal their emotional and psychospiritual wounds resulting from years of armed conflict, poverty, discrimination, and displacement. We aim to help surviving communities understand the impact of the past on their present through education, healing groups, and self-healing. We will train psychologist, social workers, nurses and other health care practitioners. This helps create educated and healthy communities that are able to transform generationally transmitted trauma by cultivating a new world view, train and educate high school teachers and students to nurture non-violence in their respective communities, and foster communal dialogue for conflict transformation and peace-building through practicing forgiveness. We also plan to help mobilize communities, facilitating healthy partnerships that build bridges of diversity through common values centered on the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We need your volunteer spirit! Come spend 2 weeks to make a difference in your life as well as in the lives of hundreds of people. Your generous donations are vital to make this ATOP of Meaningfulworld humanitarian outreach project a success. Our first team will depart July 1st to 12, 2011. Donations can be made via check or Pay-Pal (see www.meaningfulworld.com for more details). Checks should be made out to ATOP and mailed to ATOP 135 Cedar St, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010.

ATOP Meaningfulworld one-year follow-up to the earthquake in Haiti January 12, 2011, Port au Prince, Haiti Dr. Ani Kalayjian A solemn yet celebratory day in Haiti marks the one-year anniversary of the January 12, 2010, earthquake. 230,000 people lost their lives in this devastating earthquake, 2.3 Million people are still missing; over half of the Haitian population found themselves without homes, 70% of people’s homes were destroyed. Although thousands are angry since they cannot get out of the tent-city. Today, on 12 January 2011, streets of Port au Prince were flooded with a sea of hundreds of thousands people dressed in black and white, with some mournful colors like blue and purple or bright forbidden colors sprinkled throughout the crowd. We began the day with a march to a variety of town centers, churches, community centers, and streets at large. We went to the FOKAL Knowledge and Freedom Foundation where a select group of NGOs, artists, poets, and many other citizens reflected on their feelings of survival and remembered their losses while reinforcing their devotion to hope. “Kanpe Pale” (“Stand up and talk”) was the theme for the day, which meant express yourself, and discharge, while others in the audience empathically witnessed. We then went to pay our respects to Magalie Marcelin, a prominent figure in the women’s right movement. We first cleaned up the area around the tomb, where human remains continued to be burned, releasing a strong toxic odor that was difficult to inhale the scent weighed heavily on my heart because it reminded me of how fragile people can be. We placed flowers on the grave, burned candles, planted an avocado tree, held hands as we prayed, sang, and then sang and prayed some more. The afternoon was emotionally moving: We nurtured our body and soul as we sat on the terrace to witness the exact time of the anniversary of the earthquake, 4:47 P.M., when everyone stood in unison, vehicles stopped moving, bicycles and motorbikes stood still on the roads. Everyone came out and put their hands up in the air and chanted “Jesus,’ then sang the Haitian anthem and continued with their marches, memorials, collective meals, and remembrance plans. The sun set very quickly, and people began dancing in the streets in the dark as candles were being lit everywhere. Driving to Jackmel, the beautiful mountains on southeast side of Haiti, we could not believe the hundreds of thousands of people still in the streets singing, dancing, celebrating their survival, expressing gratitude to one another, and embracing one another. We (The ATOP of Meaningfulworld team) began our work immediately, surveying Haitians about their feelings and their continued challenges on the day of the earthquake anniversary. Haitians call one another “emotional” but at the same time, it is taboo to express one’s emotions or discharge negative feelings, unless it is through reactive behaviors. The next day our ATOP team trained more than 30 students of social work and psychology from several universities, including the University of Notre Dame. Initially, an annual conference was organized to address the emotional and spiritual impact of the earthquake, but due to election upheaval as well as the cholera epidemic, the conference was cancelled. We decided to go on with our humanitarian mission and one-year follow-up evaluation as planned and were grateful for the local coordination of efforts by Fr. Wismick, Jean Yves Valcour, and Sister Lamercie. Although the roads are still unpaved and rubble caused by the quake still blocks many streets, people have the determination to get to their destinations. Of course, some streets were unpaved and difficult to drive or walk through even before the earthquake, but more deterioration is taking place each day. The majority of the group expressed how the training made them feel better physically: headaches have gone away, body aches transformed, shoulders feel released of all stress; and emotionally: frustration is transformed; hope is strengthened, and plans for action solidified. Everyone prayed to have a smooth election without further violence. Haitians are a fun-loving, honest, sharing, and caring people who are tired of being used by opportunistic dictators. I then invited previous team members Junior Duplier and “Billy” Carl Prophet, who functioned as our interpreters and coordinators of transportation in Farahly’s absence. On day four we went to the elementary school in Petionville to teach on the subjects of love, nonviolent communication, assertiveness, and forgiveness. More than 200 students standing in rows in the courtyard listened attentively; it was extremely heartwarming to witness their hunger to hear, their curiosity to observe, and their commitment to the messages of love. They were asked to repeat each message after hearing it, and they did so loudly and with conviction. At the end the students surrounded me, asking me what my name is, where do I live, and so on! They sang and took photos in groups. We then met with the teachers. I observed that the teachers were using physical punishment (hitting, pinching, slapping) for disciplining purposes. I then conducted a class on disciplining strategies, mindfulness, love, and forgiveness. On day five we visited the Community Hospital that we worked in last year. Met with the Directors and physicians, made an evaluation and comparison, and donated bags of medicine. On day six we visited Complexe D’orchidee, another primary school, which is located in the heart of a debilitated neighborhood, Delmar 2—perhaps the second-poorest area in Port au Prince. This school is supported by Rose, a Haitian-American who now lives in Boston. Traveling through the neighborhood, one would never imagine there is a school in this area; in fact, the local driver insisted that we must have been given the wrong address, as there could be no school in this neighborhood. Then we turned right and went through an alley and heard the beautiful voices of the children. When we entered we were shocked to see how respectfully the students stood up in unison and began singing a “welcome to our school” song in Creole as

Humanitarian Outreach to Kenya, Day Five: Meeting Obama’s Grandmother Sept 1, 2010 By Dr. Ani Kalayjian Today I am in Kunya. I awoke from several confusing dreams. I try to recall and share my dreams each morning and learn something about the inner workings of my emotional world, mind, and heart. In my dream I saw my grandmother, who left this material world long ago. I guess since today we will be meeting Grandma Obama, our president’s grandmother, that’s the reason I dreamed of my grandmother. She was very strong and beautiful, and she held the family together. Grandmothers know how to hold the space for all the family—they are the anchor of the families and clans. Especially having survived the Ottoman Turkish Genocide, she helped knit the family into a tight social network with her unique matriarchal management style. We had planned to leave at 8 A.M. sharp… Now this is Kenyan time, which I am sure you have realized is the same in every country. This being-late phenomenon is a contagious one; of course in Mexico it’s Mexican time, in Armenia it’s Armenian time, in Sierra Leone naturally it’s Sierra Leonean time. We all rushed to make it to the main hut by 7:30. Then we had to wait for our driver, Omolo, who is also the nephew of our host, Joyce Oneko, to return from fishing in Lake Victoria (which is the second-largest freshwater lake in the whole world). It is customary here in Kenya to bring fresh fish to the house you are visiting, to share the abundance. Of course we wanted to take the fish to Grandma Obama to share the abundance! On the way to Kogelo, we stopped to meet with George, the director of the sewing school, where we contributed to the students’ experience by asking them to prepare our traditional Kenyan outfits. So we got our measurements taken and chose the fabric and the styles, and our Humanitarian Team agreed to pick up the garments the following day. The roads that connect villages are usually bumpy and unpaved—indeed it was no ordinary ride. We were shaking up and down all the way to Kogelo, while the two fish hung from our driver’s side mirror (which provided natural refrigeration). In the beginning we were given a hard time while trying to enter Obama’s complex because we didn’t bring our passports, so we had to look for other forms of identification. Thank goodness we soon found some other forms of ID and we were granted entry to the compound. The house was a simple structure, with two graves on the left side of it; one is for Obama’s father and the other is for his uncle. After waiting for about 10 minutes, Dr. Sara Obama (she was given an honorary doctorate from University of Kenya) came out in her traditional Kenyan clothes and headscarf. This 88-year-old vibrant smiling woman with cute dimples on both cheeks greeted us with “El Salam ou Aleykum” (“May peace be upon you,” in Arabic), “Karibu” (“Welcome,” in Swahili) and “Jambo” (“Hello” in Swahili). She mentioned she’d been taking a nap since she felt tired because she is fasting for Ramadan, the Islamic holy days. She also shared that she was busy the day before, meeting with ministers and government officials. One of her basic goals and dreams is to educate the girl child; she in fact feeds and helps more than 12 female orphans, who are unable to afford education. Joyce will do an in depth interview with Mrs. Obama in a few weeks, as she is writing a book on the oral traditions passed on generationally through older/wise women, grandmothers of the village. Mrs. Obama was talking a mile a minute and we were all gathered around paying close attention to every word she uttered. Of course we didn’t understand much of it, and we were grateful to Joyce for translating for us. We asked the questions in English—Mrs. Obama could understand a little. I wanted to know how her life had changed since her son, Barak, became the President of the United States, and she said very humbly, “I get to meet people like you, who are coming from all walks of life—people I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise.” We numbered about 10 in our Humanitarian Team and there was so much to ask, as we were wondering about the circumstances of her childhood, among other experiences. When I asked about how best to deal with the issue of illiteracy, especially with regard to the girl child, and how to overcome the male oppression of women stemming from male insecurity and role confusion, her response was, “Only with education can we overcome all these restrictions.” I totally agree; in fact, that is one of the goals of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and that is our goal in WNGE (Worldwide Network for Gender Empowerment). We actually have less than five years left to meet the eight goals set forth by the MDGs. These goals have been signed by all governments and are to be completed by 2015. Right in the backyard, just a few feet away from where we were sitting and visiting with Mrs. Obama, lay President Obama’s father’s grave. Last year on Father’s Day, President Obama said that he grew up without a father in his life. “My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I knew him mainly from the letters he wrote and the stories my family told. And while I was lucky to have two wonderful grandparents (maternal) who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me, I still felt the weight of his absence throughout my childhood. “In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to

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

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

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

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