Trauma Informed Care Trainings in Nepal

In early June, Healing Together Nepal conducted a Healing Advocacy training with members of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), one of Nepal's first and largest organizations advocating and providing space for the LGBTIQ community. BDS has a long history of advocating for LGBTIQ rights in Nepal, including actions leading to landmark legislation that made it prohibited to discriminate against people for their gender or sexual orientation. Healing Together is proud to have been invited to facilitate multiple trainings for BDS community as well as staff and leadership within the organization.

During this training, participants shared about the difficulties of growing up either being unable to share about their identity, or being harassed, bullied, and beaten for coming out. For some, it was one of the first times they had openly acknowledged how much family trauma, medical trauma, and descrimination they had faced. Several of the participants are trainers within the organization, and stated their intention to use the principles of Healing Advocacy both personally and professionally.

Thanks to your generosity, Healing Together Nepal is able to support one of Nepal's most vulnerable communities with the tools and healing they need to live vibrant and secure lives.

Our Nepal Country Director Suresh Chhetry has been hard at work leading Healing Advocate trainings across Nepal as well as participating in a global movement against violence. Over the past two months, Suresh has facilitated 6 trainings which reached over 170 educators in 33 schools around Nepal. The educators were incredibly appreciative of the trauma-informed training, which they say will help them support children in their classes who are survivors of trauma. Your support over the past few months is directly responsible for ensuring that these children have teachers who understand trauma and are able to respond to them with compassion and kindness.

In between these trainings, Suresh has participated in the Brave Movement, an international movement dedicated to ending child sexual violence. As part of the Brave Movement, Suresh gave a public speech to over 2000 people, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In this speech, Suresh shared his powerful and emotional personal story and inspired activism, standing up against sexual violence and building a movement to support survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

After the speech, Suresh created a traveling photo booth through the capital of Kathmandu, inviting people to take a photo of themselves holding a sign showing their support for survivors of CSA. In 15 days, over 3000 people took their photos to show their support, uploading the photos on to social media and raising awareness across the city. You can see one of the photos in this update. The sign says "I stand firmly against sexual violence towards children, adolescents, and sexual and gender minorities. What about you?" and "Unite against childhood sexual violence. It is inhumane to blame or disrespect survivors of seuxal violence".

Your continued support made both these trainings as well as our collaboration with the Brave Movement possible. Thank you so much!