Trauma healing and psychosocial support training has started in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State on Tuesday.
The training was organized by the United Nations’ Development Program or UNDP, Radio Easter reports.
It is expected to run for five days, targeting community volunteers and counsellors, from the counties of Yei, Morobo and Lainya, respectively.
Speaking to Radio Easter, UNDP Peace Building Officer, Margaret Athanasio Tongun, says the workshop aims at addressing the issue of trauma.
She adds that the training is also meant to build the capacity of the volunteers, in providing psychosocial support, to the three counties.
Athanasio hopes that commissions of healing and reconciliation will be formed in the area based on the history of conflicts in the country.
“The training is on trauma healing and psychosocial support for community volunteers and counsellors starting from Tuesday and ends on Saturday. The objective of the training is to enhance knowledge, capacity and skills of the community volunteers and counsellors in addressing trauma and provide psychosocial support to the communities of Yei, Lainya and Morobo counties respectively. as you are all aware, we had decades of conflict in our country and now with the revitalized peace agreement, we will be forming truth, healing and reconciliation commission.so as basis of forming the truth healing and reconciliation commission,UNDP is now preparing the communities through training of community volunteers and counsellors,” said Athanasio ,UNDP peace building officer.
Athanasio expects the participants to be able to address trauma using the knowledge gained from the training.
The participants are drowned from different institutions, including police, women and Youth leaders, chiefs and local government officials.
UNDP Peace Building Officer calls on the participants to support their communities in their respective institutions.
“We expect the participants to go back with the knowledge and address the trauma that is caused by the long history of conflict in the country and gender based violence. The training drew people from various walks of life including police, women and youth leaders, chiefs and local government officials. We expect them to go and address the issues of trauma and support the communities in their respective institutions, like those who work in the police, to support their colleagues in managing trauma and manage conflict in none violent approach, “says Margaret.
She encourages the public to forgive each other, reconcile and co-exist peacefully.
The training brought together 35 participants from the three counties of Central Equatoria State.