Zarlasht Halaimzai and her family fled their home of Afghanistan when she was 11 years old, leaving all their hopes and dreams for the future behind. Now, she is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Refugee Trauma Initiative, an organization committed to resourcing refugees, aid workers and organizations with skills and tools to deal with stress, insecurity and trauma.
When most people think about the refugee crisis or helping refugees, they think in terms of providing food, shelter, and security. While these things are important, in this conversation Zarlasht brings to our attention something equally as vital for refugees but which is often overlooked. Connection and community, trust, and hope are as basic as food and shelter when it comes to human needs, but displaced refugees lose all of this when they settle into their new reality.
When Zarlasht recalls speaking with her relatives, she reflects on how they were always experiencing physical pain. She began to wonder, why is everyone around me always in such physical pain? What she learned is that if you don’t have the language to express your feelings of the trauma you’re experiencing, the pain will manifest through your body. Not to mention, research has found that children who experience traumatic situations without support in processing it also have mental and physical issues later in life.
She realized, refugees need a way of healing the trauma they’ve experienced in a healthy way in order to have any chance at rebuilding their lives. Her and her team at Refugee Trauma Initiative help parents develop skills to deal with the crisis they’re in, help them understand what their children are going through, and foster a community.
After hearing this conversation you’ll have a much greater understanding of the reality for refugees, rather than the propaganda put forth by politicians as they try to avoid solving very complex issues in our world today, and what you can do to help.
For full show notes:
Connect with Zarlasht Halaimzai and Support Refugee Trauma Initiative:
Twitter: @ZarlashtH
Donate to RTI: https://www.refugeetrauma.org/
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