War Survivors Equipped for Peer Trauma Counselling

In early 2024, ActionAid International Uganda did a study among residents of northern Uganda who suffered because of the 20-decade civil war led by Joseph Kony and the lord's Resistance Army rebel. The results were alarming, with most of them still suffering from the trauma of war, GBV, stigmatization, and loss of property, leading to poverty.

To address these challenges, AAIU, under the African Women Voices for Peace, organized a training from 16-20 of September 2024 for trainers for community counselors who will be supporting their peers with psychosocial support and linking them to the respective NGOs or facilities where they can get help. Leaders from groups in Gulu, Amuru, and Kitgum were trained to support their peers.

The objective of the Training of Trainers (TOT) program for counselors working with war survivors is to create a knowledgeable and skilled cohort of trainers who can disseminate effective counseling practices to a broader network. This will ultimately improve the support provided to war survivors and enhance their recovery and resilience.

The training had an immediate impact on those who attended. Many opened up about the war's effects on them and how the training had impacted them. This training will help equip women who have gone through the trauma of war to help other women in the community. This training is essential given the limited mental health facilities in the region. The only dedicated mental health unit in Uganda's northern Acholi region, where much of the war was fought, is in the Gulu regional referral hospital.