Success Story – Semerita Uli
Community Process Facilitators – Dudu Diana
Children in refugee settlements & remote bush areas across Northern Uganda face high levels of trauma from conflict, displacement and loss. CRESS Africa Foundation (CAF) has been implementing Children’s Accelerated Trauma Therapy (CATT) interventions to address child Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and psychosocial distress.
In May, counsellors participated in training to strengthen the capacity of community-based actors to identify and treat trauma in children. The training also certifies a cohort of counsellors for supervised deployment, and creates a foundation for scaled CATT delivery across Arua, Imvepi, and Rhino Camp settlements, and Kerwa + Wandi Sub-Counties of Yumbe district. The training took place over 5 days with 20 participants.
“Before this training I carried a heavy weight of confusion and fear when I met children who had seen terrible things. I used to think their behaviour was stubbornness or witchcraft. During the CATT sessions I learned to listen differently. This training has given me language, tools and confidence. I can now go back to my community and say with certainty that healing is possible.” — Mokili Geoffrey, Imvepi Refugee Settlement
“The CATT training opened my eyes to the science behind trauma and gave me practical steps to help. I used to be afraid to ask about painful memories; now I know how to create safety and how to help a child tell their story in a way that reduces fear. I will carry these skills into schools and community centres and I believe we will see real change in children’s lives.” — Dickson Duku, Rhino Camp Imvepi Refugee Settlement
