Coping Through the Storm

“I feel able to handle any conflict.”
- Participant in Somali Community Partners Group

The thunderstorm outside is raging and shaking the earth. Inside, the small group of Somali Bantu women is safe in the CSTWT tavern, but because of the noise the women feel as if they are back in Somalia. This is a perfect time to put into practice some of the stress-coping exercises we have been sharing with them. We do some deep breathing and shoulder shrugs. After three minutes of these calming practices, the storm is still raging but the women are not concerned with it. It is just background noise.

The women are part of a Community Partners training that provides CSTWT staff the opportunity to learn more about the culture and struggles of a certain community while educating the women on trauma, its effects and ways to cope with it.

One woman, Faduma, says that adjusting to life in America has been very difficult. She is very intelligent and works to become the best person she can, but opportunities in the refugee camps were limited. During the five-week session she says she now feels more prepared to be a more loving wife and mother to her 11 children. She has learned how to handle the stress she is experiencing and how to help her children deal with stress. Faduma is determined to make life better for herself and her family. She receives the encouragement of the staff and her fellow group members.

At the close of the session, which started with the terrible thunderstorm, we walk out into the sunshine. All storm clouds have passed, and the beautiful sun is shining down on us. CSTWT is committed to accompanying our clients until the cloud of trauma lifts, allowing them to see light and hope for their futures.