Surviving Now

Surviving Now is a production of Karana Rising.

Producer: Fecha Taleso

Host: Andrea Powell

Music: Christen Lien

On June 8th, 2020 at approximately 6PM, four Kenyan students from the highly discriminated against Rendille tribe were shot dead by unknown assailants. There names were Jesca, Dan, George and Chuchu. Youth protests across the Marsabit County demand justice and serious reforms to stop the murders and police inaction. Across the world, Fecha Talaso, a Rendille woman, created a petition to demand Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security in Kenya Dr.Fred Okengo Matiang’i take action. In this episode of Surviving Now, Rendille youth who are personal friends of the murdered youth speak alongside advocates, professors and refugee specialists who advocate for state reforms the bring justice, equality and peace to these nomadic communities under siege of violence by bandits. The aftermath of this violence leaves women and children vulnerable toward trafficking, sexual violence and economic despair. Justice must start now.

Guests

Taleso Fecha, an independent consultant with six years of community development, outreach, and economic empowerment programming for high risk and trafficked youth.   Prior to joining Karana Rising, Ms. Fecha was the prevention education coordinator and residential counselor for FAIR Girls’ Vida Home.  She received her undergraduate from George Washington University.  She is a Kenyan national and actively works to educate girls and communities on female genital mutilation (FGM).

Dr. Elizabeth Pantoren, an expert in Rural Sociology specifically Community and Social Development. She is also the only woman PhD holder among the Rendille Community. She has over 20 years local experience working with pastoralist communities in Kenya. She is current Director of Programs Norther Rangeland Trust(NRT) and Chaiperson Nyayo Tea Zones.

Abdikadir Guto Kurera is a researcher based at the National Museums of Kenya. He currently holds an MA degree in Archaeology from the University of York, UK. His research interests includes documenting and promoting the history, heritage and identity of pastoralist societies (both past and present). More specifically, his interests lies in promoting the concepts of Bio-cultural protocols, community archaeology,  cultural landscapes, local adaptation strategies to climate change, peace building, and sustainable community development, with a specific focus in Northern Kenya.

Basele Stephen Galgesa, a Web developer, a social activist, and a human rights defender from the Pastoral Drylands of Northern Kenya. He  speaks justice and equity loudly.

Adan Wano! currently works in agribusiness and consultancy. Though his  passion lies in upholding human rights and just society.He is grate at talking about police brutality and has been to 25 Rendille students burials and also knows lots of these students personally.

Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/interior-cab...

To support survivors of human trafficking, visit www.karanarising.com

Many of us wonder what space there will be for us as our communities. And the world opens back up after months of social distancing, loss of millions of jobs and social and financial insecurity.   What does it mean to survive a pandemic? How can we re-imagine access to mental health?  What role does social media play in supporting or harming our mental health in a time of social isolation?  Founder of #MyProjectStigma and physician assistant, Lillian Hathaway joins survivor and advocate, Tutu Scott to explore these questions in episode 7 of Surviving Now where survivors of trafficking, exploitation and sexual assault speak to the issues facing society today.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration saw a fivefold increase at its National Helpline between the beginning and end of March 2020.  The Crisis Text Line says its volumes are up 40% in the pandemic, to about 100,000 conversations a month.

Teletherapy and social media have become ever more critical to helping us find and keep emotional balance.

Learn more how YOU can support survivors of human trafficking at http://www.karanarising.com

Visit #myprojectstigma to hear more from Lillian Hathaway

Seeking help?

For survivors of abuse and trauma:

Give An Hour at http://www.giveanhour.org will help you find free tele-therapy

Psychology. Today: Find a therapist in your area here:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Are you or someone you care about experiencing human trafficking?  Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888 or text “Befree” to 233733

"I don't usually care about how others judge me but when it comes to talking about being a trafficking victim, I do worry about what people will say. Social media has become like a lifeline for me when I can’t be around anyone else.”  - Tutu Scott

"You speak from a position of power only. You share on social media only when it makes you feel empowered. The world is not entitled to your story." - Lillian Hathaway

"Watch for friends who are suddenly withdrawing from things they love. Reach out. Let them know you see them. Ask them to check in." - Lillian Hathaway

"People are going to be more open now about what they are going through. Trauma like being trafficked prepares you for real challenges like the coronavirus. I feel unsure about my future.  but I have survived a lot. I will.  keep surviving and relying on the people I trust." - Tutu Scott

The state of learning is in flux.  Right now, there are an estimated 850 million children not in school worldwide and currently 70% of schools in the U.S. are closed. Parents, especially single parents and parents who themselves are struggling with unemployment, previous traumas such as trafficking or intimate partner violence, are being asked to chose if they want to teach their children, find or keep their jobs or simply try to survive. There is no right answer and parents everywhere are wondering what will happen this summer and fall. 

The CDC school re-opening guidelines, while focused on the physical health of students and communities, does not take into account the devastating emotional toll on children, and frankly parents, that these recommendations could have if adopted by school districts. Any form of returning back to school involves a risk toward infection for children and their caretakers. Staying home and learning virtually, either in full or in part, creates further chaos for struggling parents and social isolation for children. 

As youth homelessness rises and parents struggle to make ends meet, the reality is that more children now than ever before are left to fend for themselves.  

Today, we speak to Jenny Buccos, a multi-award winning director and producer. She is the founder of the ProjectExplorer educational non-profit, a multimedia education strategist, and an agent for global citizenship. We also speak to Liz Kimbel, Karana Rising’s co-founder and director of programs. She is also a survivor and mother of two young children. 

What are ways we all can support a new learning reality for children across the country while showing compassion to parents and teachers who are struggling.

Learn more about Karana Rising and support survivors at www.karanarising.comLearn more about Project Explorer and sign up for future content at https://www.explr-media.com music by Christen Lien www.christenlien.com

When Staying Home Isn’t An Option: Teens on the streets during the pandemic

Youth homelessness isn’t new to America. What is new is that now these youth are at risk of dying from a global pandemic where “staying home” and “social isolation” are the guiding norms of avoiding the virus. In Washington, D.C., hundreds of homeless have tested positive for the coronavirus. There are 4.2 million youth and young adults estimated youth in the United States with about 41,000 unaccompanied youth each night between the ages of 13-25. In New York, where the coronavirus has killed an estimated 20,806  people as of Monday (5/18), 1 in 10 New York Public School children are homeless.  How does a teenager or young adult survive homeless? Where can they go for help?

This week, Karana Rising’s Surviving Now series brings Ashley Lowe, an advocate and survivor of homelessness and child sex trafficking, together with Jamila Lawson, founder and executive director of the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project in Washington, D.C. to share on the ground insights into what is really happening to homeless youth and families in the nation’s capital and around the country.

Being homeless places young people, especially young women and girls, in extreme danger. Many homeless women attempt to conceal their homelessness to avoid becoming the target of sexual predators who take advantage of their lack of housing.  For Ashley Lowe, being unable to go home at the age of 13 is what led her straight into the arms of now convicted child sex trafficker, Shelby Lewis.

Across the country, many young people simply have no where to go. In some cases, it’s a choice between abuse in the house or a deadly virus and sexual predators on the streets.

Learn more at http://www.karanarising.org. Music by Christen Lien at www.christenlien.com

Online degree advertisements are all over the Internet and many people are turning that dream of going back to get that degree a reality.  Meanwhile, fraudulent universities are taking advantage of some of our most vulnerable students. Join us with Alex Elson, senior counsel for the National Student Legal Defense Network and Kiana McWeay, a mom, survivor and advocate at Karana Rising as we discuss how to get back in the classroom without being scammed.  

Guests:

Alex Elson is the senior counsel for the Student Legal Defense Network.

Kiana McWeay is an advocate, mother and survivor aspiring for a degree in social work.

Karana Rising: www.karanarising.com

Student Legal Defense Network: https://www.defendstudents.org

Category

Staying sober is a daily journey and choice. Just this month, sales of alcohol are up online by 441%. Holly Daniels, founder of Hope Point, a sober home for women in Ohio, joins Liz Kimbel of Karana Rising to share their journeys of becoming sober after surviving sex trafficking in America. As they speak to out host, Andrea Powell, they share thier challenges and their own ways of creating a healthy life without judgement or alcohol.

What would you do if you were trapped at home with your abuser? What if you wanted to leave? What if your past is coming back to haunt you? Domestic violence is on the rise. The violence is escalating. This is real.

Hear survivor, Aly Martin and Caroline Ackerman of the Amara Legal Center to gain insight into how the current Coronavirus pandemic is impacting the ways that survivors of domestic violence stay safe. We share real stories and practical ways to help survivors and exit the abuse if you are in need of help.