Maya's Story | Christmas Appeal 2026
Her son doesn't know she was shot. Tortured. And she'd like to keep it that way. In her home country, Maya worked a dentist, she loved her profession. But when she was falsely accused of supporting a rebel group, she was captured, tortured and shot.
She fled the life she knew, in order to stay alive.
Provide specialised therapy for survivors of torture this Christmas.
When Maya arrived in the UK, she was finally free from danger, but not the trauma that followed her. Unable to work and struggling with the effects of PTSD, Maya found it difficult to provide for her family. When Christmas arrived, she faced a question no parent should have to ask:
How do you create Christmas magic for your children when your heart is so heavy?
While her son looked forward to Christmas, Maya carried painful memoires alone. It wasn’t until she found Freedom from Torture, that her road to recovery began.
Through specialist therapy and support, she started to rebuild her confidence and hope for the future. But for Maya, it was receiving a Christmas Care Box that really filled her heart with joy. It may feel like a small thing, in her own words, “for us it was huge.”
Just £25 Can Provide a Christmas Care Box
Your donation today can help provide a Christmas Care Box for survivors of torture and their families. A simple gift to remind someone that they are not alone. Containing carefully curated practical presents that bring comfort, reminders of home and joy.
- A gifted teddy isn’t just a teddy. It’s comfort.
- A packet of dates isn’t just food. It’s the taste of home.
- A notebook isn’t just paper. It’s somewhere to write down therapy appointments, hopes for the future and the first steps towards rebuilding a life.
For a survivor, a Care Box is more than a gift, it’s a symbol of hope, humanity. It’s a reminder that the magic of Christmas is still alive.
Sadly, Maya's story is not unique. Every day, Freedom from Torture supports women, men and children rebuilding their lives after torture. Recovery takes courage. It takes time. And at Christmas, it’s even harder.
That's why our Christmas Care Boxes matter so much. They remind survivors that someone cares. Someone believes them. Someone is standing beside them as they rebuild their lives.