Mental Health Uganda Project #31979

Training Ugandans in Trauma Informed Care

by Healing Together

Project Report | Jan 31, 2022
New Country Manager and More!

By Mischa Freeman | Program & Operations Manager

We're so excited to welcome our new Country Manager in Uganda, Brendah Aryatugumya! Brendah is in the process of opening the newest Healing Together office, located in Mbarara, in Western Uganda. Brendah comes to Healing Together having worked for 6 years as a social worker, most recently as the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Coordinator with our partner NYAKA, and is a former participant of several of our trauma-informed care trainings in Uganda.

Brendah grew up in a rural part of southwestern Uganda where poverty was high and there was significant loss due to HIV/AIDS. As a survivor of trauma and gender-based violence herself, Brendah developed a passion for helping others heal: “Throughout my life I endured a lot of trauma. Before joining university, I was asked what I wanted to do and I told my cousin sister that I wanted to serve people, to work with people, to help and support people and to be a voice to the voiceless. Healing Together has given me all that I need to support others to become healing champions in their own lives and in the lives of others. I have come to learn that trauma is here and all we need are skills to heal from our everyday traumas so we can keep moving, keep thriving and keep healthy.”

In her short time as Country Manager, Brendah has already facilitated 2 trainings. The first, in collaboration with Mutera Global Healing, took place in Kigali, Rwanda, and supported the staff of two local organizations in learning about trauma informed care. These organizations, Resonate and Komera, work with women and girls who have been impacted by gender-based violence. Through learning about trauma-informed care, the staff will be more able to take care of both community members and themselves.

The second training took place over several days in Uganda. The training included 45 participants, many of whom were teachers who have been out of work due to the pandemic. These teachers typically provide community education in remote villages through drama and theater, as literacy rates are low. Now that schools have begun to open after two years in Uganda, the teachers are focusing on learning additional skills for supporting their students. Brendah shared that unlike many trainings she's attended in the past, where participants often fell asleep, this training was lively and engaged. One of the participants shared, "It is from this training that I learned that I have been beating my children to make them become disciplined, but instead I have been hurting them more." Teachers who are trauma-informed are more likely to be able to support their students in both learning and healing.

Stay tuned for more, as Brendah is about to lead a training for 70 teachers from 70 schools in the Mbarara region!

Thanks to your contributions, trauma-informed mental health support is accessible to communities that are deeply impacted by violence and inequity. Your support is making a difference for generations to come.

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Apr 5, 2021
A slow return to normalcy + more mental health trainings on the horizon

By Amy Paulson | Co-Founder & CEO

Students wash hands (Photo: The Independent)

COVID-19 Update in Uganda

Although many wealthy countries in the Global North are vaccinating their citizens, the situation is vastly different in Uganda. With a population over 42 million, only 864,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been released to Uganda by the World Health Organization.

The Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) has issued a plan for a slow, phased return to school, however most students still remain at home. With few resources for distance learning outside of urban areas, the MoES outlines a 3-year accelerated catch up for lost school time with school returning to "normal" in 2024.

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Our Work & Our Partners

While COVID-19 still prevents us from safely resuming in-person mental health workshops at schools across rural Uganda, we've been invited to continue training Ugandan healthcare workers and community educators specializing in gender equality - on how to heal and prevent cycles of trauma and gender based violence. Those trainings will take place in the next months. Stay tuned!

Our partner, Nyaka, has expanded from 2 to 4 healing centers, providing counseling support to survivors of sexual and gender based violence.

We're creating an online training platform with self-paced, culturally adaptable mental health content - like the Emotional First Aid lesson (photo below) - so that organizations can get certified in trauma-informed care, and train their own staff and community members.

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Gratitude & Sustainability

In this rapidly changing world, sustainability is everything. While many nonprofits like ours have been hit by the economic recession and loss of funding, the demand for mental health resources has increased exponentially. We're working hard to adapt, innovate, and stay the course -- so our partners, communities, and most of all, everyday survivors of trauma and violence know that they still matter.

So, we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your ongoing support and advocacy!

#StandWithSurvivors

PS - We've changed our name to Healing Together - a bold declaration that reflects our mission to unlock the power of everyday people to build resilient communities and heal cycles of trauma and violence.

Lesson on how to deliver Emotional First Aid

Links:

Check out our new name and website!

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Nov 20, 2020
Healing Advocates learn to combat gender based violence

By Amy Paulson | Co-Founder & CEO

The newest class of Healing Advocates in Uganda

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in East Africa, so too have reports of gender based violence.

With your generous support, we collaborated with our longtime partner in southwest Uganda, Nyaka, to train 38 more local leaders - from healthcare workers to community educators specializing in gender equality - on how to heal and prevent cycles of trauma and gender based violence.

Both male and female participants engaged in lively discussions about how, in some villages, women and girls don't have the right to use a pit latrine (a toilet that consists of a hole in the ground) and are denied the right to an education.

Participants also learned how to give Emotional First Aid and Counseling to survivors of violence, and discussed how "Hurt People Hurt People" - therefore healing trauma prevents further violence.

Upon graduation, the participants declared their commitments to the community and what they learned from the training:

"As a Healing Advocate I will help other mean speak up about violence."

"I will help the church in emotional first aid and promote gender equality."

"I have learnt the steps of giving [emotional] first aid to traumatised victims."

"I have learnt that before giving help to others, I must first heal my own trauma."

Our local trainers were equally inspired:

"The participants were busy concentraing and taking notes as they watched the videos. This will change many people's mindset for the better. I wish this training can be taken all over the country."

With momentum from this experience, we look forward to supporting Nyaka with further trainings for Boda Boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers - who are often the first crisis responders for survivors of violence in the community.

Thank you for your continued support! Your generosity is empowering whole communities to transform violence into healing.

With gratitude,
Gratitude Alliance

Discussing the impact of violence on Mothers

Learning how trauma & violence are inherited

Practicing emotional first aid & counseling skills

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