Saving Tracy
How SCHEFO brought a happy ending to a single mother in Buduburam
Executive Director Keith Kortu has long been committed to consoling many women who were victims of sexual abuse and rape. In June 2010, one of the women Keith counseled started showing signs of serious illness. Tracy Kalon is a single mother of five who was diagnosed with cervical cancer and chronic nutrient deficiency. Keith communicated the severity of the situation to the SCHEFO staff in New York: if Tracy did not receive surgery and treatment within the month, she would die and her five children would be left completely alone. Immediately the New York staff went to work on a campaign to save Tracy’s life. The response to her immediate and specific need from all over the United States was overwhelming. We asked people to give up the cost of a subway ride or slice of pizza, $3, but many more were generous contributions.
The amount of compassion people showed for a woman they had never met and who lived a life completely different from their own was inspiring. By the end of the month, we were able to send funds to Keith for Tracy’s full hospital stay, surgeries, and treatment.
The Save Tracy campaign is a concrete example of SCHEFO’s founding values put into action. We redistributed money from those to whom $3 meant very little, to a woman who desperately needed aid. It is through these connections between communities and a grassroots approach to aid delivery that The SCHEF Organization created positive change in the lives of Liberian Refugees on the Buduburam Camp.
