In the wake of 9-11 small acts began to emerge out of the horror that embodied that day. The parents of Peter C. Alderman are fine examples of this. Their son Peter was a young 25 year old who was attending a conference on the 106^th floor. They received their 1.4 million share of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and like some other 300 families set up a foundation. As of last year only 10% still exist.

The parents, Elizabeth and Stephen, contacted Dr. Richard C. Mollica of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, and asked his help in assisting the worlds trauma victims, knowing it so well themselves. Together they have trained 35 doctors, from 12 countries and set up clinics in Cambodia and Uganda.

The Cambodian clinic runs on $22,000 a year. Utilizing Cambodians to treat other Cambodians they have a patient load of 4,000 and make 400 home visits.

The parents estimate they put in around 12 hour days, 7 days a week. To be all the more cost effective, they print their own stationary and lick their own envelopes. A true labor of love to honor their sons memory. They hold master classes to train doctors from the countries they partner with so it is culturally sensitive and the governments help with medicine and space rental.

They choose to go out into the world, feeling rightly so, in America one can find help. The following facts I found startling:

1. In Sierra Leone there are 100 doctors for the whole country.

2. In Rwanda there are two psychologists for nearly 10 million people.

3. In Baghdad there are 5 psychologists left. In rural Iraq, with a population of 26 million there are no doctors.

“To date, Peter Alderman-trained physicians and other personnel, such as psychiatric nurses, village elders, midwives and Peter Alderman clinics, have touched more than 55,000 people. This is over a three-year period. We are gearing up to do more” Stephen Alderman.