Hello friend,

Across many communities, pain does not always show itself openly.

It lives in families shattered by rape.

It hides inside generational shame that no one names.

It shows up in children bullied at school who begin to believe they are not enough.

It grows in homes marked by physical abuse, abandonment, and silence.

It stays buried in generational secrets that were never meant to be carried this long.

This is what trauma looks like. And too often, people carry it alone.

I remember a young woman, Janet, who came into one of our community sessions. She had lived through years of abuse but had never spoken about it. She did not call it trauma. She called it “just life.”

She struggled with anger, sleepless nights, and a sense that something inside her was always unsettled.

During the training, something shifted. She began to understand that her reactions were not random. They were connected to what she had lived through. For the first time, she said, “So this can change?”

That moment matters. Because it did. If this story moved you, I invite you to make your gift today.

I have also worked with couples who came in thinking their struggle was about distance or intimacy, only to discover that one partner had been carrying the impact of childhood sexual abuse for years without language or support.

I have sat with a child in Ikorodu who quietly shared that she was being harmed in her own home and had no safe place to take that truth.

These are not isolated stories. This is why we built the African Trauma Care Alliance.

We've also trained nurses in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia; trauma centers in Kaduna; LASTMA police in Lagos; NGOs; churches; schools; universities; and businesses.

When one person heals, a family changes. When families heal, communities begin again. Because no one should carry their burden alone, and healing one life can change many others.

I have seen addictions begin to loosen when we address the trauma beneath them.

I have watched caregivers move from confusion to clarity after learning how to respond to PTSD and related trauma.

I have witnessed communities initiate their rebuilding process when a handful of individuals possess the necessary skills to assist others in their healing journey.

This May, we are bringing that work into the open through our Global Community Trauma Care Walkathon. Across cities and countries, people will walk together to stand for healing and to say that this pain will not remain hidden.

We are preparing now, and every donation made before the walk helps us reach more communities in time.

Your donation will help us:

↳ Train over 1,000 caregivers using the Kadaasile model so they can effectively respond to trauma, PTSD, and related conditions

↳ Expand trauma care programs already active in Ikorodu, Kaduna, Kenya, and Ethiopia

↳ Support outreach and research that bring real healing into communities where help has been out of reach

Here is what your gift can do:

• $50 helps train one caregiver in trauma-informed care

• $100 supports a community healing session

• $250 helps expand outreach into a new community

Right now, someone is carrying a story they have never spoken out loud.

Right now, a child is waiting for someone who knows how to respond.

Right now, a family is struggling under the weight of something they do not know how to heal.

Give today. Walk with us. Help someone begin again.

You can act now:

 Make a one-time donation

 Become a monthly supporter

 Sponsor a walk location in Ikorodu, Akoka, Ibadan, Kaduna City, AMAC Abuja, Winneba, Ghana; Nairobi, Kenya; or Axum, Ethiopia

If this speaks to you, I invite you to give today or reach out to me directly. I would be glad to connect with you.

Thank you for standing with us in this work.

Dr. Akindotun Merino

Founder, African Trauma Care Alliance