Sarah was working in clothing store in Jinja. Near closing time, a man walked into the store. At first, Sarah thought he was a customer.
“As soon as he said, ‘Go in the back,’ I thought I was going to die. His hand was on a knife and he had it pointed at me. What flashed through my mind was – ‘I’ll never see my family again.’ He was only there for 20 minutes – but he changed my life forever. Afterwards, I was numb. It was like – I had lost my “self.” I was split in two – my physical self was there, but my soul was missing… For the first year, I had constant nightmares. I couldn’t be alone.
I didn’t feel safe anywhere. Two things in this experience saved my life: First – my boss – who was smart enough to run out of the store and get help. And second, the Abuse & Rape Treatment Center. I would have never made it without them. When the ambulance brought me there – I was hurt and I was bleeding and I was in shock. They took amazing care of me – they treated my injuries, they collected all of the evidence, and they started to help heal my shattered self. They also took care of my ten friends and family who descended on the place – they were traumatized, too.
In the weeks and months that followed, my Abuse & Rape Treatment Center therapist helped me reach deep inside of me. And I found my “self” again. I am stronger now than I ever was before. After surviving all of this – I feel indestructible.”
