Our Advocacy

Advocacy is a love language with the power to connect and uplift us and it is the first step on the healing journey

We are a collective of passionate elders, teachers, educators, and healers on a mission to support survivors and their families.

Advocacy is a big part of the work we do to seek freedom, or guahata turahu, for our beneficiaries who are individuals in need of support for post traumatic stress disorder, this includes recovering addicts, victims of trafficking or domestic violence, veterans, and other survivors of abuse. Our goal is to become a reliable touchpoint for those we serve and ensure positive outcomes.

How we serve:

We believe every community is a garden and every garden deserves to thrive. Each of us a seed with all the potential to grow and bloom, however, for many the world can be a cruel and unusual place, stunting or even preventing growth for the most vulnerable. Every seed deserves to be loved and nourished, including those who have survived trauma and violence.

Through advocacy our organization acts as a gardener caring for and protecting those seeds who need more light. To seek freedom is to let the light in and find the resources one needs to evolve within the community.

Who we serve:

Guahata Turahu currently serves a broad community of survivors in underserved communities in the United States. We are a diverse and inclusive organization, embracing all genders, ethnicities, and cultures who are experiencing socio economic hardships, especially women and children. However we are currently structuring programs and advocacy to benefit students, as well as, Queer, Indigenous, and Black people of color recovering from trauma.

Where we serve:

Currently our organization is located in South Dakota but beneficiaries can be from anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Tribal communities in North America. We hope to expand into a global enterprise that connects, advocates, and educates worldwide.

Our Vision

The goals for Guahata Turahu, our mission, the vision for community, and our dedication to its beneficiaries have taken the shape of Nikki’s love.

Nichole Mercado was a devoted friend to those she loved and a ferocious older sister to the President and Co-Founder of this organization.

A Message from Our Founder Dr. Erica Mercado Moore

After the loss of my sister, I reflected on her life. The pain she suffered from trauma as a young girl, bullying as an adolescent due to race and weight, the struggles she experienced with her mental health, and later in life her addiction to substances, yet, through it all she had the ability to share joy and help others, despite her personal struggles. She went on to provide therapy and reunification services for families, she worked in the schools to prevent bullying, and she was always helping friends, family, and even strangers. I wish that I could have helped to heal Nikki. There was so much grief with no place to go and so I began envisioning a world where we could be exactly what Nikki needed to thrive and succeed. As the vision of our organization unfolded I saw youth programs that built confidence, empathy, and positivity. I saw the ability to strengthen an already resilient generation and a way to provide purpose and direction for the future generations. I was able to envision a wealth of educators across the country, throughout the world even, partnering, cooperating, collaborating to heal the generations of inequity that has impacted our children and foster a culture of education and learning through community caring. Our programs strive to foster awareness and advocate for a culturally responsive K-12 curriculum that supports Regental Institutions. Of course there are times when preventative measures and methods will not always be enough; Therefore our organization works to provide services to our beneficiaries, individuals who need and deserve physical, mental, and emotional wellness and stability. This would include, providing resources for those healing and in recovery from addiction, loss, mental, or emotional pain by, partnering with fellow organizations who can provide therapeutic services to survivors. Gua currently offers equine wellness and eventually equine therapy. This year, grieving my sister, I had also experienced pain and struggle in both professional and personal ways. I often felt alone but as I looked out I saw many family and friends supporting and comforting me. I shared my vision and realized I was surrounded by so many who also sought to help and heal others. We were able to come together and envision so many ways we could make a difference, where we could help others and also continue to heal ourselves. It is with so much pride we launched our non-profit organization, Guahata Turahu – To seek freedom, to find community, to support youth, strengthen ourselves through wellness and educational programs, and advocate for those in need of greater community care through all that we do.