Stepping up from her previous role as PRN Advisory Board member, Sibongile West was elected by the Board of Directors to serve as its next President.  A graduate of the University of California Los Angeles and Maharishi University of Management, Sibongile has an extensive corporate background in public relations with Young Communications Group of Los Angeles and has worked as campaign liaison and staffer for California State Senator Holly Mitchell during her tenure in the California State Assembly. 

She is also a business woman and entrepreneur, having served as CEO of her firm providing African braid design services to the entertainment industry with clients that included Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Sheena Easton, Patrice Rushen and Barry White.

In addition, Sibongile has been a Teacher of Transcendental Meditation since 1973 and designed and taught a Consciousness-BasedSM educational program for the Upward Bound program at the University of Northern Iowa.  She was also one of the administrators at the historic Transcendental Meditation Center, Inc., an organization sanctioned to teach TM in the inner city and underserved populations throughout the United States.

More recently Sibongile taught in several research studies on the effectiveness of TM in the reduction of plaque in the carotid artery and the body’s response to pain at the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and at the University of California Irvine, respectively.

This rich and diverse professional experience uniquely positions Sibongile to continue strengthening our current programs in Africa and to assist PRN with a new phase of outreach and growth.  Since her first involvement with PRN, Sibongile’s commitment to those children, women and men in Africa who have benefited from our donors’ dedicated support has inspired all those who have been fortunate to know and work with her.

“I have spent most of my life teaching this technique with its extraordinary ability to reduce stress and eradicate symptoms of PTSD. The Africa PTSD organization  can offer much to those suffering from traumatic stress as well as being a preventive measure to those communities at risk. It is my heart’s desire that more people learn about and support Africa PTSD Relief Now so those who are in need of this technique can be helped.”
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The PRN Board of Directors is truly excited to introduce all of you to Sibongile and continue our work to bring relief to those suffering or at risk of post-traumatic stress syndrome.  

Your continuing donations were hard at work through all of 2017 even as we relocated our office to Fairfield, Iowa and worked on strategies to position Africa PTSD Relief for yet greater impact going forward.    

Your financial support has established the solid foundation for several projects in Kenya.  Leveraging this strength and the history of your on-going commitment, APR has been able to team with another organization, Partners for World Peace, and their new East Africa Fund which was established to support a range of projects involving the TM Program. (learn more about the East Africa Fund here)

As this complementary stream of support joins together with your donations, APR's existing projects with the Maasai community of Transmara, Global One School in Kibera, and the SCANN orphanage for street children in Nakuru will be able to expand even more quickly and include many hundreds more new TM practitioners during 2018. 

• Maasai Community in Transmara 

A diverse group including Maasai widows, miners and children of Chamrecc School all enjoyed several days of meditation checking and follow-up meetings given by TM teachers Solomon Mwangi and Patrick Kinuthia who trekked up from Nairobi.  In the coming year, 200 more members of the Maasai community will be receiving their TM training.  

• Global One School in Kibera

You may remember when African PTSD Relief started the project at Global One Foundation School.  This was our first experience in Kibera, a single square mile in Nairobi where hundreds of thousands of people live with very limited access to clean water, healthy food and educational opportunity. 

All the teachers and primary students at Global One School now practice TM twice a day and we are working to schedule all the secondary students to learn as well in the coming year. 



Here are the Global One teachers during a group meditation.  These twice daily periods of calm and revitalization that your donations make possible have really transformed and renewed their already deep commitment to teaching the children.

• Orphaned Street Children of Nakuru

In the city of Nakuru west of Nairobi, your donations continue supporting the Street Children’s Assistance for Nakuru Networks (SCANN) project. This foundation houses homeless children and provides them with education, food, clothing and nurturing. 

Now in addition to the wonderful benefits provided by SCANN, the children also enjoy daily stress relief through their TM practice. 
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Some of the boys say hello after a recent group meeting with their TM teacher and graduate of Maharishi University of Management, Simon Mwangi.  It is a happy group to be sure! 
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​Other schools within the SCANN network have been requesting our programs.  We plan to offer TM instruction to 100 more of these students as phase one of expansion later this year.

Thanks to you and our other generous supporters, African PTSD has made great strides in 2016 and is poised to accomplish much more in the coming year toward our goal of teaching TM to millions of victims of trauma from at-risk communities across Africa. 

Here is a list of activities that African PTSD Relief has accomplished in 2016 towards raising awareness and to helping raise large donations to do very large projects in Africa. The goal is to teach TM to millions of victims of trauma across Africa from at-risk communities.

Accomplishments 2016

1.     Continued TM teaching to bring PTSD Relief across Africa, including groups supported in Kenya and Tanzania

​2.    Twenty Federal Agencies learn about our next-generation PTSD relief strategy. In the process thousands of federal employees are given presentations on African PTSD Relief and invited to contribute. Also top administrators are given presentations on African PTSD Relief with the possibility of collaborating and supporting large funding to Africa. Due to the nature of Combined Federal Campaign contributions, donations will not be given out or made available until mid-2017. 

3.    Dr. David Leffler, Howard, Levine, and David Shapiro publish article in top-ranked African American media source: Afro, explaining how PTSD is cause of much of the conflict between African-Americans and police, how the most effective and cost-effective approach should be taken both for cure and prevention.

4    Carole Bandy presents poster submission "Rapid Reduction of PTSD in South African Students using Transcendental Meditation Practice" has been accepted for presentation at the 28th Association for Psychological Sciences Annual Convention, May 26-29, 2016, at the Sheraton Grand, Chicago in Chicago, IL, USA.

5    David Shapiro presents: High Percentage of South African students in select colleges have PTSD and interfaces with world leaders at International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies 32nd Annual meeting, Dallas, November 2016. Top World Health Organization Administrator/Scientist invites us to collaborate in Africa measuring PTSD.

6.    Dr. Keith Wallace, Dr. David Leffler and David Shapiro publish article in Op-Ed News: PEACE THROUGH MEDITATION? AN UNCONVENTIONAL SOLUTION FOR THE SOUTH SUDAN MESS

7.    Article published in Charleston Gazette-Mail:  PTSD nonprofit promotes meditation for relief.

8.    The U.S. Surgeon General invites African PTSD Relief to discuss TM as an effective PTSD reduction strategy. October 5, 2016. Vice-Admiral Dixon Smith, chief administrator for the Navy Yard, and Chief Lawyer for Homeland Security learn how effective TM is at reducing stress, anger, and the violence of PTSD as well as suicide.

9.    At Charity Fairs, contacts were made to with many other non-profits, some of which support Africa. Outreach is in process to and there may be grants possible with some of these organizations.

10.    One couple who has run a charity for over 30 years and have many top level connections to other non-profits that support Africa. They have reached out and will set up meetings with 2 likely candidates. 

11.    Dr. Sandy NIdich publishes two articles showing TM reduces traumatic stress in prisons.

12.    Presentations made to five groups of supporters in LA, New York and Washington DC regions. 

13.    Newsletters published each month from August to December. 

14.    $22,300 raised plus unknown amount of funds from Combined Federal Campaign.

15.    Regular social media posts in Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest. The average post view in Facebook has risen from 100 to 200 views per most posts.

16.    A partnership was established between the United States National TM organization and African PTSD Relief for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC):  A grant was offered through December 31, 2016 to reduce the usual adult price of Transcendental Meditation by $120 per person. All participants in CFC Charity Fairs and those who meet African PTSD Relief representatives during charity fair season (September 1 through December 31) were eligible to apply for this grant. TM Centers across the National Capital area set up meetings to  inform federal employees about African PTSD Relief so that they may donate to African PTSD Relief through CFC or inspire their friends and family to learn TM at this discounted rate.

A number of volunteers help support the charity fairs. The most active supporters were: Katie Grose, Werner Pfleger, Jamie Grant, David Streid, and Keith Snail. Thanks so much for your help with this outreach!

17.    A Mazda van was donated to African PTSD Relief to help reduce our main Combined Federal Campaign expense: car rental. Room and board expenses are being donated by local supporters in the Washington DC area and David Shapiro.

18.    Database of 20 contacts managers who organize agency CFC Events has been set up, to allow us to request invitation to 2017 charity fairs in these divisions. Over 100 federal government employees have been added to our mailing list and will receive updates. Over 300 views recorded for November Newsletter and 250 for December Newsletter.

19.    Currently African PTSD Relief is running a campaign to inspire contributions from friends of a strong supporter who is donating her birthday gifts to African PTSD Relief.

20.    Currently we are applying for 2017 Combined Federal Campaign. Deadline January 31.

21.    Two papers, confirming rapid results of TM on reducing PTSD and high levels of PTSD in select schools are in submission to peer-reviewed journals.

​Between August 1 and December 15, 2016 the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) worked to inspire up to 5 million Federal Employees to donate over $45 million dollars to pre-approved, vetted 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.  The CFC is the only federally run charity drive for federal government employees. Each year, it connects with these employees from September through mid-December. The idea is that by carefully organizing a once-a- year drive, Federal employees can be encouraged to support charities that provide much needed help in areas beyond the Federal Government's domain. Federal employees are given the opportunity to donate to their chosen charities either as a one-time donation or as ongoing monthly donations from their paychecks. 

​Participating charities are put on a list containing their name and a brief description of their services.  In addition, agencies of the Federal Government invite a few charities to local events in each building or in each complex in order to inspire their employees. These charity fairs are an opportunity to encourage employees to support a variety of worthwhile causes including one’s own.

​Although being a first-time participant in charity fairs, African PTSD Relief was invited to around 20 such events. Many of the charity fairs were aligned with the direct purpose of PTSD Relief, namely providing knowledge of (take out “our” - generic purpose of fairs suggested here) more rapid, inexpensive, evidence-based Post-traumatic stress disorder support. Fairs were held in office complexes for Health and Human Services (HHS), (comma) Department of Defense (DOD), (comma) as well as the Department of Justice (Bureau of Prisons).  Just in these three Departments alone, we went to 14 events this fall. Highlights of these meetings include: presentation to the Surgeon General of the United States who showed interest in meeting with us and the Committee on Emotional Health; (semi-colon) presentation to the Chief Lawyer of Homeland Security; and a brief meeting with Vice-Admiral Dixon Smith. Each received a short presentation tailored to his area of interest. General reduction in PTSD was the theme presented to the Surgeon General. Reduction in PTSD as a tool to reduce the anger and violence of PTSD-based terrorism and immigrants’ PTSD was the theme for the Chief Lawyer of Homeland Security. Resilience and suicide prevention was the theme for Vice-Admiral Dixon. 

​At Uniformed Services University, we gave an overview of our new PTSD reduction technology to 400-500 students, faculty and staff. 

There were other federal agencies not connected with health care that we visited (clipped and shortened here):  US. International Trade Commission, Office of Personnel Management,  Social Security Administration,  Federal Housing Administration, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, Federal Mediation Board, CFC main office in Washington DC.

We were invited to give presentations to: 30 executives who run the Combined Federal Campaign, 300 employees at U.S. Federal Trade Commission and 50 Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board employees.

Federal employees may make a one-time donation or organize to offer a part of their monthly checks to their chosen charities. 

Along with working to explain how our charity gives inexpensive and rapid PTSD relief to Africans and to encourage donating to help those in need, we also partnered with Maharishi Foundation and offered a $120 discount coupon to anyone coming to these fairs. The coupon would reduce the adult price of learning TM.  National Capital area TM teachers, including Katie Grose (Bethesda), David Streid (Washington DC), and Jamie Grant (Alexandria and Falls Church, Virginia) joined a number of these charity fairs to encourage federal employees to support African PTSD Relief and to learn TM. In many cases, employees would know someone who had PTSD, (comma) and they wished to organize for their friends or family to come in and begin TM.

In the next few months African PTSD Relief will find out what the first year’s response was to our 20 Charity Fair presentations.  We have received verbal pledges by some employees, indicating there has been support. The coming months will tell us how much in one-time donations and how much support in monthly donations we will receive. Donors may also give to a “general” category (remove comma) in which case African PTSD Relief will receive a percentage of those general donations corresponding with the percentage of funds donated to African PTSD Relief in the CFC 2016 donations year.

All thanks go out to the CFC for organizing everything so well and to the TM teachers who joined in these presentations. Thanks, too, to Dr. Keith Snail for offering his home as our home and office during many of these trips. We would also like to thank Andrew Schoenbach for donating a 2004 Mazda van to African PTSD Relief thereby greatly reducing the costs to attend meetings in the National Capital area throughout the year.

For details of presentations and meeting notes for the 2016 Charity Fairs, please go to the African PTSD Blog posts September through December 2016.