Hillcrest School Mental Health Recovery Fundraiser

I'm helping the Hillcrest Survivors group raise money as a stopgap measure to pay for counselling for anyone suffering from any sort of mental health crisis as a result of mental abuse, sexual abuse, or attachment disorders as a result of attending Hillcrest School or one of the hostels (dormitories) in Jos, Nigeria.

For many the confession of sexual abuse by James McDowell, Principal of Hillcrest School between 1974 to 1984, and the revelation by ex-students of sexual abuse by Mr. Bates, School Counselor, plus the sexual, physical and/or mental abuse by some teachers associated with Hillcrest School has created a mental health crisis for many ex-students. Many have been suffering in silence for decades, with some revealing their struggles for the first time. This is an emergency measure until more reliable sources of funding (e.g. missions) can be found.

My own interest is in part from being a victim of emotional abuse by an elementary teacher, and from being a moderator of an anxiety disorders bulletin board 20 years ago where one of our members unexpectedly committed suicide. I hope that type of situation can be prevented.

Any money raised will be accounted for and any money not used will either be returned or put into efforts to create awareness to the unique nature of trauma at boarding schools worldwide. We are working to secure a couple volunteers to determine exactly what basic administrative rules will make things run smoothly, and the money spent wisely.

P.S. No amount is too small, you can also give anonymously if that is what you want. Also there is no need to leave a tip for the GoFundme page if you don’t want, just change the suggested tip to "other" (on the left side) and then “0”. They do take fees out, I'm assuming for credit/debit cards.