Jean Baptiste was a chief in his home country. As militias waged war, Jean Baptiste urged people not to fight. But some were not happy with that, and a group came to assassinate him. In the process of trying to kill him, they raped his mother, his wife and his daughter. Jean Baptiste escaped to Nairobi.

As militias waged war, Jean Baptiste urged people not to fight.”

In Nairobi, he was denied official refugee status. As a result, he struggles to support 28 immediate and extended family members. His past torture and current situation resulted in deep depression and thoughts of suicide.

Jean Baptist met CVT counselors at a neighborhood church. He joined a men’s counseling group, where he found friendship, support and respect.

“When I met CVT, they brought me back to life and despite my status [as a refugee], I’m still important,” Jean Baptiste now says.

CVT’s work in Nairobi is funded by a grant from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration

The names of survivors and some personal details have been changed to protect their identity.