A STORY OF RESILIENCE: Immigration, Migration and Trauma of Sub-Sahara African Women in Canada

In this book, I weave together personal stories of my struggles growing up in an African culture at a time when education for girls was given little consideration, and there were stories of the traumas of surviving a political coup and a violent relocating, with stories of other women who experienced their own pains of relocating. The book offers knowledge and insight to mental health and other professionals who work closely with these women who are involved in the struggle of integrating into new Canadian communities while carrying the baggage of pre- and postmigration trauma. Although my experience is not unique among other immigrant women's stories, it has given me a reason to appreciate each day that God blesses me with life, shelter, freedom from gunshots, and an abundance of resources. I am ever grateful that as immigrants and professional workers read this book, which is an interweaving of the comments of African immigrant women, excerpts from my own personal story, and the insights of others, they will encounter new perspectives about African immigrant women (hereafter AIR women). Specifically, the section of shared stories of pre- and postmigration trauma will shed knowledge on how to begin work with a clientele who come from similar backgrounds. I especially hope that readers will be encouraged to thankfully reflect on their own experiences as people who have the privilege of living in a country that is safe.