With 65 million people forcibly displaced by war worldwide, over 21 million human trafficking survivors globally, and 1.3 million torture survivors in the U.S. alone, we face the challenges of addressing a significant and widening global gap in providing mental health services to those affected.
Partnerships for Trauma Recovery would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all those who participated in this Fall Fundraiser and Opening Reception. The night was filled with inspirational stories from our Executive Director, Monika Parikh, sitting Board Members, Laryssa Temnycky and Akhil Gupta, and one of PTR’s Refugee Voices Interpreters, Samira Alibakit, whose passions spoke about what drew them to this line of work. “The world has tremendous amount of relief services to provide food and relocation, but very few services to help these survivors heal mentally. Without this healing, the life of these survivors is continuously marred by thoughts about what happened and what they lost,” claimed Akhil.
The night continued with an open bar courtesy of wine and beer donated from Fotinos, Balleto Vineyards, and Lagunitas Brewing Co., and with a special silent auction featuring donated items including a VIP 49ers Football package, a Hector Estrada Salon product and haircut package, Gloria Ferrer VIP wine tasting and tour, and many more! Further, we would like to extend our appreciation to Fouladi Projects for donating their space and curating a gallery of artwork that resonates with the PTR mission. Due to the generosity of all of our donors and supporters, PTR is able to continue serving survivors.
Our new Mosaic Healing Center in Berkeley is able to serve up to 55 clients on a weekly basis. Thanks to our Refugee Voices Interpreters and Clinical Trainees, we are able to reach out to survivors in nearly 25 different languages – and growing! Our aim at MHC is to create a safe space for clients in which we can work together and build relationships rooted in trust, honesty, and healing. The road to healing is a difficult one, but we are excited to share our new space with partners on that journey.