With your assistance, we are directly improving the lives of men trying to rebuild their lives after years of unjust detention and torture.
We believe torture survivors deserve compensation far beyond what we’re currently able to provide. However, we hope that our grants will make a meaningful difference in their lives and send a message that Americans do not support what was done in our name.
Prior to providing each grant, we meet virtually with the survivor to learn about his most urgent, unmet needs, and how our financial support could help him as he strives to recover and rebuild his life.
In its first 2 years, GSF has awarded more than $100,000 in individual grants of $2,000 to $3,000 to help 40 Guantanamo survivors and their families.
Grants have been awarded to…
A survivor who was unable to find work to support his family. The grant covered six months’ rent and utilities for a 3-room apartment, as well as food and prescription medicine.
A survivor suffering from kidney failure. He was able to pay for six months of dialysis.
The widow and three young children of a Guantanamo survivor. The grant made it possible for them to secure long-term housing.
An aging survivor who had difficulty working. He was working 10- to 12-hour days in a job that required heavy lifting. He used his grant for the down payment on a used car with which to start a taxi business.
A survivor transferred to his home country with nothing. He arrived only to learn that all his close family members had died. He was homeless with only the clothes on his back after he left Guantanamo. His grant provided six months’ rent, food, clothing, and other necessities.
Words from our Grantees
The Guantanamo Survivors Fund team is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our grantees, so we share the following quotes but have removed all identifying information.
“The stigma of being a former Guantanamo detainee made it nearly impossible to secure employment, leaving me struggling daily to make ends meet. Then, the Guantanamo Survivors Fund provided essential support that transformed my life: They helped me buy a truck, which I now use for transport services. This truck has become my lifeline, enabling me to earn a living and regain a sense of independence and dignity.”
“Your support was a great help to us. You covered our daily needs. We had no income… We couldn’t afford to feed the children [and] we had months without paying the lights, water, medicine, and house rent.”
“The years of torture…had left me with severe health issues, both mental and physical. My vision had significantly deteriorated due to the beatings and torture, and I urgently needed surgery for my damaged eye. The Guantanamo Survivors Fund responded with compassion and provided the financial support necessary for my eye surgery. Thanks to them, I was able to get the treatment I desperately needed, which helped to save my eyesight.”
All artwork on this site is by survivors.
The paintings displayed on this website are the work of Guantanamo survivors. Some were painted inside Guantanamo and some after the men were released; each conveys some aspect of the artist’s struggle and suffering and faith and resilience and humanity. We thank the survivors for creating their artwork, sharing it with us, and permitting us to display it here.
If you are interested in supporting survivors by purchasing their artwork, please email us.
Support dignity for Guantanamo survivors
Your donation will help Guantanamo survivors overcome immediate hurdles and, we hope, help them on the path toward sustainable livelihoods.