BEDFORD, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--U.S.-based Peter C. Alderman Foundation (PCAF), a non-profit
organization that trains doctors to heal the psychological wounds of
war and terrorism, will open a new clinic in Gulu, Uganda in January
2008. The new clinic is the second PCAF Clinic in Uganda dedicated to
the diagnosis, treatment and counseling of people suffering from
mental trauma.
The announcement was made in New York by Stephen and Elizabeth
Alderman, co-founders of the Foundation that is named after their
youngest son Peter, who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist
attack on the World Trade Center.
Gulu is a province in Northern Uganda with a population of 120,000
residents and the site of internally displaced persons camps which
house more than 1 million internees. It is located about 110 miles
north of the Ugandan capital of Kampala. The clinic there will
represent the first sustainable psychiatric service for victims in
war-torn Northern Uganda. Doctors and caregivers will treat diseases
caused by mass violence and terrorism: psycho-trauma, traumatic
depression, PTSD and anxiety syndromes. The clinic opening also marks
the opportunity for the PCAF to operate on the frontlines of
post-conflict regions and at the same time gather data on the
treatment of highly traumatized Ugandans.
"This clinic will serve as a lifeline for an increased number of
Ugandans suffering from psychological trauma and marks the first true
test of our unique clinic model and our private/public partnership
with the government, the academic community and the churches," said
Stephen Alderman, co-founder of PCAF. "It is the second leg of a three
phase program to help heal the mental wounds of all survivors in this
war-torn country."
Uganda has suffered through four decades of war, and has
experienced human rights abuses and terrorism. The regime of Idi Amin
alone was responsible for some 300,000 deaths. Currently, the Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA), an extremist rebel group based in Sudan, has
abducted over 25,000 children. 1.7 million people in northern Uganda
have been displaced because of the 20-year war in Gulu and Kitgum.
About the Peter C. Alderman Foundation
Steve, Liz and sister Jane Alderman and brother Jeffrey Alderman
created the Foundation in 2002 to honor Peter who was murdered in the
World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The Foundation has mounted a
global effort to help train in-country doctors and caregivers with the
skills needed to treat psycho-trauma, depression and the overall
mental health of the survivors of mass violence, war and terrorism.
Currently, the Foundation has trained 35 doctors who work in 12
post-conflict countries, across four continents. Fifty-five thousand
war-affected people have been treated in PCAF clinics and by
PCAF-trained personnel. The Foundation was recently cited by Geneva
Global in Barron's Weekly as one of the ten best organizations in
America that epitomizes thoughtful and effective giving. For more
information, please visit petercaldermanfoundation.org.
Padilla Speer Beardsley
Tony Berlin, 212-752-8338
tberlin@psbpr.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
