In 2006, Danielle went to Ghana with a group of NYU drama students and teachers to work with Liberian refugees in the Buduburam Refugee Camp. Many of these refugees had been forced to leave their homes and loved ones under horrific conditions. Relief organizations at the camp provided basic needs such as food, water, and primitive shelter, but there was no opportunity to process the trauma these individuals had experienced. Through a program of drama, music, dance, and story-telling, the NYU group provided an way for the refugees to express themselves and begin to heal.
Danielle and her colleagues were particularly touched by one young girl, Lydia, who desperately wanted to learn and better her life. They continued to finance Lydia's education until she graduated from high school. Danielle and her friend Prentice also remained in touch with one of the refugees, Alfred. When Alfred repatriated to Liberia, Danielle and Prentice provided him with financial and programmatic support to open LYDIA (Liberian Youth: Determination in Adversity) which funds enrichment programs for former refugee children. In 2009, Danielle and Prentice saw the need for a US-based organization that could pick up where relief organizations end. Thus, Asmi International was formed.
Alfred & Lydia
Asmi's mission is to partner with local community groups and teachers to provide programs to populations in crisis. Asmi's teaching artists and literacy experts provide self-expression workshops and literacy programs to help individuals move past the trauma and begin to rebuild their lives.
The LYDIA Project
Asmi's first partnership is with Alfred's organization LYDIA. After almost two decades of civil war, the people of Liberia are rebuilding their lives and their country. In 2011, Asmi plans to send a team of literacy specialists and teaching artists to Monrovia, Liberia. Over the course of six weeks, Asmi teachers will work with Liberian community members to transform their stories into a drama production as well as to train Liberian teachers to run regular adult literacy classes.
Danielle & teaching artists at Buduburam Refugee Camp
The Asmi California Coastal Bike Tour will be raising funds to support the LYDIA Project and help expand Asmi International's presence in other troubled areas of the world, such as Haiti or Sudan.
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