Help Erykah Survive

Erykah is a game changer who has had to overcome many difficulties on her own. After making the decision to step away from an abusive
situation, she is finding herself in a position where she needs support which is why I am helping her with this fundraiser. This is her story: 

From as early into childhood as I can remember, I was abused by family members. I hold a clear recollection of living in the fear of violence
from my mother throughout my childhood but the single memory that I will carry with me all my life is that of the abuse I endured in
Montpellier, France. There, my younger brother, mother, and I lived next to the elementary school I was attending at the time. During the two years we lived in Montpellier, my mother often beat me to the point of bleeding or held me while my brother hit me as a form of punishment. I was often locked out of the apartment and left in the staircase during extensive periods of time. I have vivid memories of her asking me to get on my knees, stand straight in that position and locking me in her room for hours on end without food or water. That time of my
life was marked by recurring instances where I seeked help from neighbors or the administrative desk in our apartment complex.

A few years after my parents divorced, I moved to the United States with my siblings. I lived under the supervision of my older sister who
physically abused me as well. The school I attended at the time helped me petition with my father so that I could be moved into a safer situation in fear for my health and livelihood. There I found mentors and advocates who helped pull me out of a scary situation during a time where I feared for my life. I found similar people who held me close when I went to college in Boston. I was able to ground myself in a community I had only known once before in my life. But my trauma caught up with me on holidays I found myself celebrating alone or when my
father demanded that I reconnect with my abuser in order for him to continue paying for my studies. Knowing that my academics were
being affected from the situation I was in and feeling trapped by the abuse that followed me, I decided in August 2020 to step away from
my family and move back to Cote d’Ivoire, where I am from. I have spent the following months desperately looking for work or a possible
way to sustain myself financially in vain. 

Unable to find work without a University degree at home, I pivoted to finding ways to finish my degree. I am now in Nairobi, Kenya trying to finish my studies at the United States International University (USIU). I hope to finish this degree in International Relations with a minor in Gender Studies and work in law or politics. I am kind and reflective so I intend to use it to lead in the creation of more equitable
communities.  

However, I have reached a point of not having the means to afford food, shelter, or my basic needs and can not continue without support.
Your support would help me pay for basic needs, and stay in Kenya to finish my studies. I couldn’t have walked the path I have without
knowing the deep power of community. It is what has held me together. It is all that I have. So your support would mean the world to me. 

Wherever you are reading this, know that your support here will forever be a guiding light in my path forward.