We continue to receive support from the New Zealand media. This is really helping us raise awareness to receive funds and support and also to reach the Samoan communities in New Zealand and Samoa.
This week we are featured in Radio Samoa – in the news bulletins twice a day – 9am and 1pm, and in the community notices at 7.40pm. We will be in their newspaper as well, and will update you when that comes out. Thank you so much for supporting us!
We have been interviewed also by the TV One series Attitude. The Attitude reporters will be in Samoa just after we are, and will be following the positive effects of our work there. We will let you know when our story will be aired.
Radio NZ will have their Social Issues Reported following our work whilst we are in Samoa. They will be speaking to some of the participants after the training and finding out what it has meant to them, and what they will do with skills and the positive impact this will have on the communities. Again, we will let you know when the story is aired.
We are grateful for all the support and awareness this brings us and the work that we do.
We are running a voluntary training for 3 days, and in-field support for consolidation of skills for 3 days. The last 3 days also includes one to one sessions of up to 2 hours being made available to other people in need of recovery.
We would like to reach as many people as possible. Please pass this page on to those who can benefit from these skills:
Flyer for one to one sessions
Flyer for Trauma Recovery Training
Our team have been busy indeed! We have achieved a third of our fund target which is amazing! Thank you to everyone who has donated and contributed, bought our products and helped us raise funds. We are still busy fund raising and thinking of new ways in which to raise the money we need to fund our voluntary trip and Trauma Recovery training programme. We are having some fun along the way!
What our Team have been up to
At the Levin Organic River Festival in Janaury, our team member Asenati prepared and sold a delicious Samoan Green Banana Curry. A popular choice at the festival and raised NZ$350! Well done Asenait and thank you so much to all those that contributed to our funds.
More recently, in line with Saint Valentine’s Day, we had special cookies on sale in both Auckland and Wellington!
Our Auckland team, Lisa and Alaria, sold Valentine’s cookies at Takapuna Market on Saturday. They recruited the help of the lovely Maria Noone and her daughters who made fudge for us to sell. Lisa’s kids, Ben and Ana, helped mum out not only by helping to bake the cookies, but also to sell them door to door in the neighbourhood! All in all a great day was had recruiting the help and support of the locals and dancing in the summer rain! So far they have raised NZ$200 from cookie sales! Well done.
In Wellington the special “Love Cookies” were sold at the recent Improvathon – a 30 hour imrovisational comedy performance given by the Wellington Improvisation Troupe. Some of these guys performed improv for over 3o hours, and then did another show on Sunday night! Very impressive! And thank you for letting one of your members Charlotte sell her fund raising cookies there – which even got a mention in the local theatre review!
It has been an amazing few days for the NZ Trauma Recovery Team! View our latest reports through the media here:
Hear Charlotte talk about our cause on Access Radio 783AM on Wednesday 10th February. Charlotte was interviewed as part of their Community Zone programme on behalf of the Trauma Recovery Team.
Hear Karen talk about our cause on ABC News on Wednesday 10th February. Karen was interviewed by one of their top reporters about the work we are doing in Samoa.
Our news is reaching the United Kingdom! We are very pleased to be featured in a widely read NLP newsletter issued by NLP4Kids. Thank you! NLP4Kids Newsletter
We are gaining support through local, national and international media, which is fantastic! A huge thanks for all those who are supporting us to raise awareness to raise funds to make it all possible, to help the people of Samoa rebuild their lives. Read about us at:
East & Bays Courier
Scoop.co.nz – Front Page
Scoop Community
Scoop Lifestyle
The Japan Times
Parnell Darling
NZ Trauma Recovery Team is pleased to have the support of local media who are helping us raise publicity to raise funds to support us in our mission to assist the people of Samoa to rebuild their lives.
Please go to the Whangarei Leader link to read about our mission and our Team – especially our one and only Whangarei local Karen Ross!
We ask you to share this information with people that want to connect with us.
Stay tuned to your radios on Wednesday 10th February 2010 at 5.30pm to hear our live interview on Access Radio, 783am. The podcast will be posted on this site on Wednesday 11th February as well, just in case you miss it.
Thank you for all your support.
Samoa = Sa-sacred Moa-centre
To me Samoa is a most sacred place and now the centre of much attention following the tsunami. Elena Kostyugova and I spent four days there in December with the purpose of seeing for ourselves the recent tsunami devastation as well as finding out how our team could help with healing emotional wounds and recovery.
I was born in Samoa and my father (Vernon Samuel Mackenzie) was a respected Matai. I felt a mix of emotion about returning to my roots and spending time with my extended family, all of whom are grateful for the help and generous assistance from NZ. The last time I was there was to bury my father who had died of a sudden heart attack on 9/11 at only 59.
We met with Dr Ian Parkin, acting head of the psycho-socio response team at Apia Hospital. He kindly took us for a drive across the island to see the devastation first-hand. We were shocked to see so much destruction right along the sounthern coastline. I was not surprised to hear that the villagers have escaped to high ground as there is still such a lot of clean up work to be done. After talking at length with Ian we realised that anything can be turned around if the people are empowered. By running a training that gave his staff and other therapists real counselling/NLP skills we can create a ripple effect to help others “dance” through their grief.
Jamie, my brother, also helped us connect with two of the NGO’s (Non-Government Organisation’s): Samoan Victim Support Group and Faatua-le-Ola, which is the equivalent of youth line here in NZ. These organisations operate with the help of volunteers and are run by women who dedicate their time and love selflessly in helping others.
Both Lina, Head of Samoa Victim Support, and Runa at Faatua-le-Ola agreed that there was a massive need of support required to help empower their staff – all of who are volunteers working with victims of trauma. They are both very interested and enthusiastic about our up-coming training in Feb. They see it as an invaluable training with long-term benefits for Samoa.
I am confident that our team has the ability to make a difference in the lives of the victims who have lost so much … it is a dream awakened.
- Lisa Gibson
Recent Comments