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Our Program Needs Your Help Today!

A single working mother and torture survivor cannot afford furniture for her apartment…

A gay man cannot sleep through the night because of memories of his persecution based on his sexual orientation…

When those persecuted flee their home, approximately 20% of those bound for the United States resettle in the New York area, where an estimated 75,000 torture survivors live.

Dear Friend,

I am writing to ask for your support for the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT). In these difficult economic times, one thing is clear: the more vulnerable people are, the more they will suffer. For our clients at the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT), these needs are compounded with horrific trauma histories. If you had been tortured, persecuted, and forced to flee your home country, leaving everything of value—including loved ones—behind, where would you turn for help?

For hundreds of men, women and children from five continents, the answer for the last thirteen years has been PSOT. Our mission is simple -- in a world where torture is practiced systematically in more than 100 countries, we are dedicated to providing survivors of torture and war/refugee trauma with comprehensive medical and mental health care, social and legal services regardless of ability to pay to help them rebuild their lives. PSOT is the only such program in the New York City area providing such comprehensive services. WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT NOW MORE THAN EVER.

While we look forward to the day when our services are no longer needed, for now we continue to open our doors to a growing number of torture victims. As with all organizations providing services to vulnerable populations, the current economic situation has endangered our ability to provide these important services. While our staff and volunteers remain committed to serving every client, increasing referrals and disappearing resources make fulfilling our mission a struggle.

We hope that you will support the work of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. Our commitment to you is that your gift will be used to provide essential care to traumatized survivors in grave need. Many of you have supported our work in the past with your donations and time and we are grateful. We recently raised $4200 in a special fundraising initiative to buy Metrocards for our clients but we still have many other important services to cover. We ask you to increase your end of year donation to us during this especially difficult time.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Allen S. Keller, M.D. Director