Report on the Trauma Healing Held in Arua City Amongst South Sudanese Refugees 

Recent Events

Training

The May 22nd Trauma Healing Training targeted South Sudanese refugees who settled in Arua city from South Sudan now for nine years since the 2016 conflict that erupted in the country affecting many parts of the country especially the greater Equatoria and the Eastern bank causing close to a million influx of South Sudanese refugees into Uganda.

The refugees in Arua could receive their food ration from the camps but settle in the city for purposes of offering their children good education and exposure. However, the food ration was cut and now are totally dependent on their own (90% are women) by engaging in petty businesses and support from their spouses among whom only ten percent receive support from their families due to unemployment.

Caught in this dilemma it was expedient to engage them in trauma healing seminar. The seminar/training that was designed for only 30 persons attracted 52 participants. Because of the increased number the seminar was reduced to one day as costs spent for feeding was for two days among whom 13 were men and the 39 were female.

Key areas covered included, description of trauma, causes, counselling and healing process of victims, living in the midst of conflicts, forgiveness, coping with trauma and finally trauma healing as integral missions. 

Issues Raised

Most of the refugees live separated lives leaving women to take care of the family needs through petty businesses with no sufficient capital.
Most husbands are redundant and jobless either back in South Sudan or in Uganda.
Education of children is hard as the income is limited.
Most children are dropouts since they cannot raise money to pay for them to go to school. 

Refugee Grievances

Support in terms of small loans to boost their businesses to enable them to live sustainably
Scholarships to enable their children continue with their studies
Educational support to enable their children get skills to support them earn a living
Need for another trauma training to benefit more people(refugees)

Methodology

The training involved key church leaders and our extension workers (Rev. Obadiah and Rev. Isaiah) who handled the Living in the midst of Conflicts and Forgiveness respectively. The delegates from the refugee camps were accommodated at the Green Parlour Hotel including other delegates from Koboko (Pastors and other related church leaders).

The training ended with late at 6.00pm at the Cafetiria Conference Hall with a vote of thanks to the mobilizers in Arua city, teachers and participants.

Challenges

Transport costs doubled due to the long return trip from Jinja, Kumi, Soroti, Lira, Gulu, Adjumani, Moyo, Yumbe, Koboko, Arua. Due to the prevalence of Ebola, I (Thomas) opted to travel on private rather than public transport since Congolese occupy up to 40% of the buses along Kampala to Arua and back.