Mental Health Support for Violence Survivors

To Strengthen our Agricultural program, we recently included group mental health therapy sessions within the Agricultural training programs. Agroup of 25 Boroli settlement Green garden youth farmers recently went through 8 days of Mindfulnesss Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program exploring various body and mind relaxing exercises as well as touching topics on Forgiveness and Emotional self awareness. Within just 3 days of the training, one of the participant (Ms. Viola-17 years) said ''I never knew that some of my actions were signs of Stress but now I have known and I will be more aware when some of these signs show up and I will quickly work out ways to bring my mind to the present moment. For example, I thought it was just part of me to be very emotional and reactionary because for me when someone says or does something I dont like, I quickly get annoyed and feel like fighting''. I thought this was just the normal part of me but now I understand that its one of the signs of emotional stress. I will be more aware now and this will help me deal with my emotional stress and build strong emotional resilience''.

Another Program participant (Ms. Helen-16 years) said for her she had been struggling with forgiveness because when someone does something bad to her, she will hold it in her heart and never release that person. ''I would feel headache and increased heart beat whenever i see the person who wronged me even if it has taken many years''. With this training I have learnt that I am killing my own self because it is like I have bought rat poison then drink it myself and expect the rat to die. Instead I am the one going to die. So from today onwards, I will never hold someone in my heart for my own good.