A panel discussion Thursday examined how people respond to terrorist acts, which the panel said have had a direct impact on one-sixth of the world's population, including the family of AU alumnus Peter C. Alderman, who graduated in 1999 and was killed in the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks.
According to panel host Louis Goodman, dean of the School of International Service, it is crucial to recognize how the 1 billion people affected by terrorism respond to such experiences in order to create a better world.
The panel, "A Compassionate Response to 9/11," included members of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation, an organization founded by the parents and sister of Alderman, who was 25 when he died. Stephen and Elizabeth Alderman dedicated their organization, created eight months after the Sept. 11 attacks, to providing underdeveloped countries with psychological resources for those suffering with traumatic depression as a direct effect of terrorism.
According to Stephen Alderman, many survivors are unable to function after suffering trauma related to terrorism and do not have the resources available to get help.
There are plans for a clinic to open in Uganda at the end of this year. The country is currently in the midst of one of Africa's longest running conflicts involving the rebellion and terrorist actions of the Lord's Resistance Army, a conflict that has left many Ugandans unable to function and in need of psychological assistance.
"In Uganda, 80 percent of those struggling with traumatic depression live in rural areas, while 90 percent of the expertise they need is located in urban areas," Stephen Alderman said.
The foundation has trained 35 doctors in 16 countries and treated 50,000 people. Because each doctor is required to train at least 10 doctors in his region, the resources provided by the foundation have a culturally relevant and widespread effect, according to Elizabeth Alderman.
"We are teaching them to help themselves in a way that is appropriate for their specific population," she said.
Carrie Brochu, a graduate student in SIS, said the discussion opened her eyes to the problem of traumatic depression in the third world.
"I think it's great that, after such a tragedy, this family has had such a powerful response," Brochu said.
Yasif Rafa, a doctor in Baghdad who was influenced by the foundation, said the Alderman family didn't allow Peter's death to be the end of his legacy.
"Peter's death was the beginning of life for so many people all over the world," Rafa said.
Gene Steuerle, a founder of Our Voices Together, an organization dedicated to educating and empowering individuals to respond to terrorism with positive action, was also present at the discussion. Steurle lost his wife in the American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11.
"Terrorism taught us that we have power over an extensive amount of people ... power to hurt them or to help them," Steurle said. "Not any of us are naive. We can't stop terrorism, but we can send a different message ... not of fear, but of hope."
Those interested in learning more about either organization are encouraged to visit the Peter C. Alderman Foundation at www.petercaldermanfoundation.org or Our Voices Together at www.ourvoicestogether.org.
