Stand with Survivors

Dear Friends, 

I hope this finds you all safe and well. It's been an incredibly difficult time for us all recently and I'm excited to share with you the amazing work the Helen Bamber Foundation team has been doing to adapt to the many challenges the crisis presents for the vulnerable survivors we support. 

Thank you, again, so much, for continuing your support of the Helen Bamber Foundation. 

Survivors of torture and human trafficking are particularly vulnerable during the coronavirus public health crisis. They are at risk of  falling prey to human traffickers and others who would exploit them during desperate times. Survivors struggle with PTSD, depression and anxiety, all of which are exacerbated by lockdown, leading to an increase in panic attacks, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Many survivors are completley alone, with no family or friends and with  little money to live on.

In order to keep our services running during the coronavirus outbreak, the Helen Bamber Foundation's team of specialist psychologists, doctors and lawyers and experts in housing, welfare and counter-trafficking have made rapid innovations in our services to continue supporting survivors remotely during lockdown, this includes: 

• regularly contacting clients via phone or video call to make sure they are getting the vital support they need
• continuing our community skills groups online via Zoom, such as art, photography, textiles and yoga to maintain a sense of structure and community for survivors who are isolated and struggling with anxiety
• producing medico-legal reports remotely, so that survivors' legal claims are not delayed and protracted any more than necessary
• providing remote therapeutic support so that survivors are equipped to manage their mental health symptoms from ptsd flashbacks and nightmares to anxiety and depression
• giving smartphones and data top-ups to those survivors who do not have access to the internet
• fighting for policy change so that survivors are not left to fall through the gaps, during the crisis 

Our deepest thanks for your support at this time. You are helping survivors by enabling HBF to deliver our core services, redeploy staff into new roles, deliver regular safeguarding contact, mental health counter-crisis support and additional casework to ensure vulnerable survivors of trafficking and torture are safe and protected during this crisis.

Our warmest wishes

Helen Bamber Foundation

Links:

• Helen Bamber Foundation Website
• Helen Bamber Foundation Facebook Page
• Helen Bamber Foundation Twitter Profile