CATT Update

Single parent family with their soap after visiting the community awareness programme

We have received very enlightening reports this year from Lulu Emmanuel, nurse at the CRESS funded clinic in Mijale and CATT (Children’s Accelerated Trauma Therapy) coordinator and are delighted to be able to share them with you.

Nine CATT counsellors, funded by CRESS, have helped a total of 91 children and young people – most of them being school dropouts and orphans and the commonest nature of their trauma remains rape & defilement, child labour/torture, child neglect, war victims, and lack of basic needs due to the escalating poverty.

CATT counsellors cycle long distances to see those needing help

CRESS has recently provided t-shirts, hand sanitiser and reusable COVID masks for the counsellors so they are safe and easily identified when providing counselling for young people. The counsellors have carried out home visits and identified many traumatized children and young people, especially in Logutulenge where Kenyi Alex lives. They then provided CATT therapy to those who fulfilled the CRIES 8 (Child Revised Impact of Events Scale) score. The CATT counsellors have been able to give out boxes of donated soap, biscuits, books, pens and pencils for those children helped by CATT, especially those taking school exams this year and next. The biscuits make it easier working with traumatized children as many of them only get one meal in the evening so find concentrating hard, biscuits mean they have the energy to sit longer during their CATT sessions.

Counsellors from various locations also carried out massive community awareness on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)/CATT with very good attendance and countless words of appreciation were heard fro

A group of participants after receiving soap

m the participants. The soap and biscuits have encouraged many participants to attend our Emotional Health Programme (EHP)/Focused community awareness (FCA) on PTSD.

Ms. Dudu Celina from Belameling said after hearing the talk on PTSD;

‘’I am SO PLEASED with the fantastic teachings by Beatrice on Post Traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD) – It is a very new and so sweet thing to listen. Through this teaching, I was able to understand why some times my children and that of my neighbours look as if they are sick but when taken for medical check-up, no sickness can be got. Thank God for the gift of Beatrice for us. As a mother, in a special way, I would really like to thank the donors who donated us these soaps and the biscuits for our children – this is a very rare opportunity to have in a refugee camps like this and again I can’t hold to thank you for washing the sweats/dirts off our body – Praying for this young charity to grow much bigger within a very short time. Please! Teach us at least once in a week or if resources allow, six times in a month’’

On hearing this! Counsellor Kiden Beatrice broke down and she was deeply moved and she expressed her determination in doing all that she can in de-traumatizing their children and also promised to continue with teachings.

Group leaders and CATT Volunteers were also able to support each other in CATT work holding meetings to identify the various challenges amongst themselves and share experiences and good practices.

Two CRESS CATT Counsellors (Kiden Beatrice and Lulu Emmanuel) have been selected by the ACTI Co-ordinator in Uganda (Elias) and ACTI Co-ordinator in Northern Uganda (Umar) for CATT level 3 training – probably in April or May 2021.