Project Report
| Jun 15, 2015
Art Therapy Skills for Peer Mentors
![Sharing time]()
Sharing time
The Life Bloom's Women One Stop Center (WOSC) in Naivasha was full of life and laughter on Tuesday, May 26th. Twenty-two Senior Mentors, three women representing Life Bloom's local collaborators, and a trainer from San Francisco gathered to learn skills on how to use art for therapy.
The mentors have a background in counseling skills, and the training served as a basis to broaden their skills and leart to utilize more conventional methods and build on the traditional methods. Takako, an Art Therapist from San Francisco facilitated the training.
The training took place in one of the completed classrooms at the Women One Stop Center, which was commissioned in September 2014.
Share photos - - Testimony after testimony was shared. Among the mentors, the painful past now serves as tools to teach others. The past lives of the majority of participants is punctuated by experiences of abuse, violence, rejection and discrimination. Many of the women were surprised at how they were able to interpret the drawings they made. They made a commitment to meet every two months to share the progress of their use of the skills, learn more, and also to learn how to teach their children to use this skill. Many of the participants disclosed that most of their children were not good at expressing themselves, especially when they had challenges in life. This skill could be helpful if nurtured.
Work Station Photo - Wanjiru (in pink top) explains to some participants how the building blocks are used to build houses and water harvesting tanks and save as much as 40% of construction expenses. The blocks (or bricks, as they are commonly known here) are made by a group of women at Life Bloom and are also sold to help cover expenses for LBSI. Art therapy facilitator, Takako, at right.
Tea time - Any surface is a place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea during the health break. LBSI is still raising funds for the second story of the Women One Stop Center
Group photo - Life Bloom is known in Naivasha as a place where people (women) laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time, without feeling embarrassed.
LBSI Staff -
Standing right, Trizer Musya: accounts officer and administration. Trizer is also in charge of the women in jail project.
Sitting right, Wanjiru Ngigi: Programs Coordinator incharge of Enterpreneurship and vocational skills training and anti-gender based violence interventions.
Sitting left, Phylis Nduta: in charge of all home based interventions for our clients and coordinates interventions for people experiencing multiple stigma situations (an individual woman sometimes is a survivor of rape, is HIV positive, a broken marriage, cancer survivor, has no job and has a background in sex work).
Standing left, Catherine Wanjohi: Life Bloom's CEO and at operations level is in charge of Leadership skills training (Mentoring), supporting the multiple stigma situations, liaison, and fundraising.
Missing in the pic is Sakina Said, in charge of rescue operations, interventions for children and coordinating interventions for HIV and other related conditions.
This team continues to be dedicated to support women and girls back to finding their dignity. Your help and support continues to be vital to the work that LBSI does.
Current cost estimates for a security system to allow for the second floor to be built:
Fence and gate $7471
Electricity (power) connection $2299
Piped water connection $1724
2 rescue cottages and furnishing $9186
Total: $20680
Thank you in advance for any support you may be able to provide.
![Art Therapy Share]()
Art Therapy Share
![Work Station]()
Work Station
![Tea time]()
Tea time
![Group photo in front of LBSI]()
Group photo in front of LBSI
![LBSI staff (partial group)]()
LBSI staff (partial group)
![Share on Twitter]()
![Share on Facebook]()
