At the tender age of five, Cheryl Ann Gajadhar was sexually abused by people she trusted. After being placed in an orphanage in east Trinidad, she faced a different level of abuse there. However, she was able to overcome her adversities and today, she is an author and motivational speaker. Gajadhar uses her book Girl in the Cupboard to reach out to the abused and to help them to cope and move on in a positive way.
For her, anger was one of the major emotions she had to deal with. “Being angry is not a sin, it is what we do with the anger. I dealt with my anger by putting words into my book. It has been therapy for me as it was able to help me deal with that anger inside me. I prayed and asked God to put forgiveness in my heart, which is very important in dealing with that inside anger. Eventually, I was able to forgive through prayers and motivation with the things of the Lord. “I wanted healing for myself. Carrying along this burden all the time, it was really affecting me. I had to get this weight off and seeing other people coming to me for help, knowing what I went through, I felt the need to get my testimony out there.”
Gajadhar said she saw her deliverance as somebody else's deliverance. “That is what really motivated me and inspired me, through the help of God, in getting my book out there.” Gajadhar has so far written 15 books but was only able to publish four. She is currently working along with school children and churches as a motivational speaker. With recent cases of sexual abuse among young children coming to the forefront, Gajadhar often have flashbacks of her childhood experience, “Everytime I hear about a case it pains me and hurts me so much. It would bring back awful memories, but I would have to try not to ponder on it.”
Gajadhar is peeved that the relevant authorities isn’t doing much to protect the nation's children. “I personally think that the system is failing. We are supposed to be our children's voices, and I believe that more things need to be put in place to help protect our children. There should be stricter laws and punishments for offenders. Also, offenders should not be put on bail on a charge like that.”
Reminiscing on her bittersweet years at the children's home, Gajadhar said she felt the strong urge to give back something to abuse children in an attempt to assist with the healing. Gajadhar’s latest project is the construction of a safe house for abused children. The home is under construction in the Arouca area. Though she faces a few obstacles, Gajadhar is working feverishly to raise funds for the completion of the building, which will be named “Open Cupboard.”
Anyone willing to assist can contact Gajadhar at 762-5486.