Tragedy in Uganda
Shows Need for Crisis Intervention Training Among Counselors
In April of this year, a devastating tragedy occurred where
20 children were burned to death in a local boarding school fire in Kampala. Whereas the
dormitory fire was believed to be arson, the tragedy shook the nation of Uganda
with grief and concern. The Uganda Counseling Association contacted Dr.
Marcell, after realizing that the counseling association should respond in some
way to offer crisis intervention services to the parents who lost their
children, teachers/staff, students and others who were affected by this
terrible event.
The association asked Dr. Marcell to spearhead the crisis
intervention event, by first briefing counselors on small group crisis
intervention and then helping to organize the crisis invention outreach to the
bereaved families, and others affected by the tragedy.
Dr. Marcell briefed over 100
counselors in preparation for the crisis intervention event where many parents,
students, teachers and staff attended receiving small group psychological
debriefing sessions. During the sessions the participants were able to share
their story, receive comfort and encouragement from others, along with gaining
helpful coping information in dealing with grief.
Dr. Marcell prepares counselors to respond To the Budo Boarding School Tragedy
As a result of the Uganda Counseling Association responding
to the Budo Boarding School Tragedy, the need for counselors in Uganda
to be trained in Critical Incident Stress Management was quickly noted.Critical Incident Stress Management is an
internationally recognized crisis intervention model for large and small
groups. The Association once again came to Dr. Marcell requesting that she
would organize this training as a two-day course.
On June 6 - 7, 2008 Dr. Marcell organized the training
through the Uganda Counseling Association with herself and three other
instructors. Dr. Sabrina Black, recent past president of the Black African
American Association of Christian Counselors in the U.S., along with Dr. Marcell was
the key facilitators of the course.Other instructors were Mrs. Grace Onyango, from World Vision Uganda, and Mrs. Lorna Dalzell, missionary to Uganda from Northern Ireland.
Other Counseling
Trainings Available:
*Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM):An internationally recognized model of group
crisis intervention.
*Missionary Care
*Stress Management
*Grief Counseling
Current Needs:
Because we have seen first hand, the impact that this
training has had on the lives of the participants who have taken it, we believe
that this training could be used in a greater way to effect positive change in
the psychological and spiritual well being of the citizens of Uganda.For this cause we are seeking the following:
The
curriculum to be accepted and recognized in some way by the national
government as a credible crisis intervention training program.
Assistance
in resource mobilization so that this program can be made available on a
larger scale to reach the people in need of such training.
The
need for a durable vehicle such as a SUV that will allow us to travel to
the various war-torn areas to take this training and other ministry. We currently move around in taxis or
rentals of vehicles, which is costly therefore limits our ministry
activities.
Ray of Hope School of Trauma Counseling
"...Your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily..." Isaiah 58:8
Ray of Hope School of Trauma Counseling is a crisis intervention training program through Agape Global Missions. The training is set up as a mobile school of trauma counseling that will be taken into specific war-torn areas of East Africa to alleviate the emotional pain and suffering of those traumatized by war and other atrocities facing the Great Lakes Region. Specifically, the program will help the participants:
Release their traumatic experiences and feelings by sharing with each other.
Identify the different forms and nature of trauma that are being experienced
Identify and practice various skills as they are processing their own experiences.
Equip participants with skills to help those traumatized by the internal conflicts, wars and HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Offer participants practical hands on opportunities to apply skills learned through supervised role play and field outreaches to IDP and refugee camps, shelters etc.
To enlighten the participants about the relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the suffering and pain of their people.
To become effective trauma counseling trainers who will be able to equip other people helpers in the area of trauma counseling.
The goal of the school is to offer three levels of counseling training from a biblical perspective that will help participants to deal with their own pain as they are learning basic counseling skills as well as to equip them as counseling trainers for the mobile school.
Statement of the Problem in Northern Uganda Internal Conflicts and Wars in the Great Lakes Region
Over the last 20 years, the Great Lakes Region, covering Uganda, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya, has been engulfed in a cycle of insurgency, conflict and wars.The region is now home to the largest internally displaced and refugee populations in Africa.It is also home to the largest number of abducted children, many of whom were conscripted into the rebel armies.Take the turbulence of Northern Uganda as a case study:
Click Here for Case Study on School of Trauma Counseling Held in Rwanda Among Genocide Survivors.
Ministries In The Camps
Stress Management Training
Gulu, Kitgum and Pader Districts are the three districts that form the Acholi Sub-region, in Northern Uganda. The districts have suffered some of the worst massacres, horrific killings and other atrocities over the past several years. (click here to read more...)
