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Room2Heal is a healing community fo rrefugees, asylum seekers and o thers whohave suffered human rights vio lations.

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Room2Heal case studiesThe following case studies are the stories of some of the peopleR2H has helped.

BenBen is 32 and from Uganda. He was born in a region where a bittercivil war has been waging for decades. Ben was among the fortunatefew who managed to escape as the rebel forces wreaked havoc,abducting tens of thousands of children.

When Ben was 12 he received the devastating news that his parentsand three siblings had been killed. Two of his siblings were abductedby rebels and remain unaccounted f or. Ben was then looked af ter bya relative.

He studied polit ics and developed a keen interest in the polit icalclimate around him. He was doing well in his studies and becameactive in the student movement campaigning against theGovernment. Ben was arrested and detained. He was charged withtreason and f elony and imprisoned without trial.

‘I am not human anymore’

Ben spent months in a ‘saf e house’ where he was kept in solitaryconf inement and routinely interrogated and tortured. Ben's body

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‘When you come toRoom2Heal you gethealed from your

Ben

Hamid

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suf f ered inordinate damage and he is scarred f or lif e. He wassmuggled out of the saf e house and his escape f rom Uganda wasarranged. Ben arrived in the UK: weak, traumatised but with hope. Hebelieved that he could build a new lif e. Af ter a long interview with theHome Of f ice, Ben's application f or asylum was ref used. He appealedand attended a tribunal hearing with a legal representative. Hisappeal was dismissed on asylum and humanitarian grounds.

‘From that moment on I have always been in prison’

Ben was homeless f or 10 months, through a long and harsh winter.During his assessment at the Helen Bamber Foundation, it becameclear that Ben was suf f ering f rom chronic post traumatic stressdisorder. He was prof oundly depressed and suicidal. Only respect f orhis f ather's f aith had prevented him f rom ending his lif e. Ben waslosing all hope in lif e and humanity. He was ref erred to Room2Healwhere he began to meet with other men in a similar situation tohimself .

‘My friends have saved my life’

Ben speaks of Room2Heal as his lif eline. Years of brutal treatmenthad severely compromised his trust in other people. Over t ime, Benhas engaged well with his therapist and started to connect with othermen in the group. He goes out of his way to welcome new members.Ben understands the pain of isolation only too well and is a solid,compassionate source of encouragement f or others. He enjoys thestorytelling group and perf orms with honesty and humour. Ben hasmoved rapidly f rom being a man devoid of all hope to being a sourceof support and inspiration f or the group. He now aims to study lawand represent other victims of human rights' violation.

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Hamid“ This is a good station for me in my journey that is this strange life.”

Hamid, an Iranian-born Armenian, was studying literature at the

healed from yoursickness, you gethealed from yourmental problems –the problems insideyour head and yourheart…’

John, Room2Healmember

‘I'm gettinginterested ingardening – I'mgetting interested inlife’Ahmed, Room2Heal

member

‘Room2Heal gaveme my life back’

Gavin, Room2Healmember

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University of Tehran when he was detained and brutally tortured onaccount of his polit ical activit ies and his Christian belief s. He wasincarcerated f or eight months, three of which would be spent insolitary conf inement. However in 2003, he was able to f ree himselff rom prison and later arrived in the UK. Having had his asylumapplication rejected and his appeal rights exhausted he f oundhimself roaming the streets of London terrif ied and tormented.

Troublesome years

Af raid to seek support, he was deprived of prof essional help andsocial contact. He turned to heroin and severe self -harming, comingto the attention of emergency services on numerous occasions.

He was eventually taken in by a community of nuns, but af ter aserious suicide attempt he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital f orthree months. From here he was ref erred to the Helen BamberFoundation and later to Room2Heal.

Hamid meets Room2Heal

Room2Heal of f ered a very t imid Hamid psychotherapeutic groupsupport and opportunit ies to participate in gardening projects. Duringthis t ime he was unsure about even the most tenuous connectionwith other group members and, indeed, with other human beings.

He explained his t ime in solitary conf inement: “You disgust yourself ,you doubt yourself , even the truth becomes a lie. How could I havebeen so happy when my torturers put sugar in my tea? Why did thismake me happy? And now, f or me, there is nothing – no lif e. Nothing.I need to be alone, but when I am alone I hate myself and I want todie. When I am with people I am terrif ied or angry and I want to die”.

Apprehension

With the support of his therapist he agreed to attempt some groupactivit ies and gardening unearthed a hidden zone of comf ort. Tobegin with he would quietly tend his designated corner, ever wary ofother group members and nervously avoiding making f ull eye contact.

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For a while, it would seem as if he was still in solitary conf inement,but in a more peacef ul environment – not surprising f or someonewho would say “f or me I am always in prison ”. He was alsoconvinced that he would never be able to connect with othersbecause “nobody can understand me ”.

A change will come

Over the weeks, a slow change occurred as Hamid f amiliarisedhimself with his new surroundings. By observing others he began tof ind within himself greater self -conf idence and belief . Seeing othersbeing happy and posit ive encouraged him to gradually join them andparticipate in their activit ies. Slowly f inding his voice, and developinghis ability to communicate, Hamid is now a solid member of the groupand, although quiet, he is clearly actively engaged in all that goes on.

“ Room2Heal got me out of prison, never I want to go back toprison – not in my country and not in my mind ”.

With his new-f ound belief , Hamid is keen to start writ ing again andhas taken a keen interest in poetry, which he recites to the group.

Hope

A f resh asylum application has been made and Hamid continues tolive with the community of nuns. He awaits a response f rom theHome Of f ice and news of his f amily who have gone into hiding in Iranf ollowing Hamid's escape.

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More informationWe are in the process of constructing a more comprehensivewebsite to document our work, so come back and visit us again tof ind out more, meanwhile, you can read what the Financial Times hadto say about Room2Heal .

For more inf ormation email us at inf o@room2heal.org.uk

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Contact usFor more info rmation email us at info@room2heal.o rg .uk

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