Rebuilding After Escape: A Story of Asylum

Asylum provides legal protection to people who cannot return to their home countries because their safety or freedom is at risk. It is meant to be a safeguard for those fleeing persecution, yet more and more often applicants are being denied despite credible danger. Approximately 30% of our clients, about 300 to 400 people annually, are asylum seekers. 

For Faven, a 30-year-old African woman*, asylum was her only chance to avoid being sent back into harm’s way. Faven survived sexual violence in adolescence, and imprisonment and abuse after speaking out against her government. After her escape, she fled to the United States and found CERI while seeking resources and support to navigate the asylum process.

The process was overwhelming. To be granted asylum, Faven needed to recount her most painful memories in a live immigration interview. At first, every time she tried to share, the words got stuck in her throat. Her CERI Care Coordinator recognized her need for deeper support and referred her to a therapist on CERI’s Clinical Team.

Through weekly sessions, Faven received compassionate care and learned grounding techniques that helped her regain a sense of calm. Meanwhile, CERI’s Care Coordination and Clinical Teams guided her through the complex legal system, connecting her with an attorney, gathering documents, and preparing the psychological evaluation needed for her case.

Over four months, Faven made steady progress. What began with fear and hesitation gradually became a willingness to engage, reflect, and prepare herself for the interview. With support, she regained the confidence needed to tell her story.

Just a couple months ago, she received the news she had hoped for: her asylum was approved! Her CERI team shared in her relief and the significance of this moment with laughter and tears. With legal protection in place, Faven now has the stability she needs to continue her healing and rebuild her life.

We invite you to give generously to people seeking safety in an increasingly restrictive system. 

Your donation means that in 2026 you are: 

• Protecting 75 families by providing critical support during their asylum process, to be as successful as possible 

• Connecting hundreds of people to needed resources while they seek asylum, such as food, housing, transportation, and medical care 

• Providing free trauma-informed therapy for dozens of adults and youth 

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On Giving Tuesday we’ll also be announcing an exciting campaign update - stay tuned!!