The Power of Survivor Mentorship
By Limey Y
As a mentor at the AFESIP centers, first I have to introduce myself to all residents in the center so that they know who am I? Where am I from? Some of the residents already know our Voices For Change team but some of the new arrivals don’t know us yet. After I greet the residents and introduce myself to them, I try to ask them about their life in the center, their studies, their families. Sometimes there are residents who are behind in their learning, so I try to motivate them to try to study hard. I use my own life story as an example when I tell them that I was a victim of trafficking, just like them, but then I tell them how I can stand up on my own today.
In 2010-2012, the VFC team went to visit the center every month but in this year we haven’t been able to go as frequently, due to being busy with our core work at the office and in the field. But we still try to visit as often as we can!
It is very important for the survivors to be able to talk to other survivors like me because I can understand their feelings because our experiences are similar. When I was a resident I had the AFESIP staff, psychology staff and other friends to mentor me in the center. It helped me to improve my mood and attitudes, gave me a sense of warmth, made me want to learn more, and kept me motivated by people around me.
Personally, mentorship can help me to feel brave and strong, to know how other survivors are feeling, to feel close to the other survivors, and when I get their trust and warmth I feel strong enough to keep mentoring others.
*Limey (Mey) has been a member of SMF’s Voices For Change program since 2009. She currently works in administration for AFESIP Cambodia.