Reconciling Youth and Police in Bujumbura, Burundi

Context

Since 2010, IPB-HROC has set up Peace and Democracy Groups (PDGs) as a way to prevent and to respond to electoral violence. That is why IPB-HROC worked with these PDGs during these 2015 elections and continues working with them to preparing for 2020 peaceful elections.

Some of the objectives of a Peace and Democracy Group are:

1. To support people on a grassroots level to organize themselves as citizen reporters to effectively prevent and mitigate violence while providing a peaceful presence during elections.
2. To raise awareness of the particularity of election violence, empowering groups with the knowledge to prevent and mitigate violent incidents.
3. To offer a non-violent channel for the expression of dissatisfaction or concerns over election processes. In other words, if people in a community know that what has happened to them is being reported, perhaps they will be less likely to take revenge or speak out violently.
4. To build relationships and create groups of mutual cooperation in divided communities.

In partnership Buterere's Peace and Democracy Group, IPB conducted a dialogue for peaceful coexistence in Buterere zone on April 26, 2019. Forty five (45) participants were present among them 25 males and 20 females.  They are representatives of youth affiliated to political parties, representatives of security agents mainly the police, chief of quarters, representatives of religious believers and those representing the local organizations.

Following are some testimonies.

The representative of MSD political party said:

Even though our political party was removed on the list of those having the right to compete during the 2020 elections, recommendations and conventions built during the peace dialogues conducted from October 2015 till February 2017 and other follow-ups organized after February 2017 still being the line of conduct and we must updating them in each meeting like this one.

According to him, the adepts of his political party need more peace dialogues and IPB should plan for that.  When many youth are jobless, he continued on advocating for IPB to think about income generation activities in favor of youth as we continue approaching the 2020 elections period. He went on saying that meeting all stakeholders to discuss periodically on the political matter update should lead to a lasting peace in our zone. As the experiences have shown, meeting like this one could always review the technics of trauma healing and social cohesion since these have demonstrated positive impact within the community of Buterere zone.

One member of the CNR political party said.

We do have so many things opposing us to the ruling political party, but what we have so far learnt from the dialogues for peaceful coexistence made us know how to live together in our diversities too. We know that the political differences are wealth to protect instead of being sources of violence. We are part of the government since we do have ministers and parliamentaries for the last four years. This is a step illustrating how far the peaceful coexistence we are fighting for is making some roots. He ended his speech on advocating to sensitizing the teaching about good cohabitation in our differences at the national level. He continued in saying, “We committee ourselves to combat for peace and security for all”.

One member from the FRODEBU political party said:

Currently our political party is getting invitations to participate in this kind of meetings rarely as we are considered to be the opposition. He continued in acknowledging that these kind of meetings with message on maintaining the good coexistence between Burundians need to be dispensed to all identity groups mainly those of the opposition side.   As we are approaching the 2020 election period, we advocate for weekly workshops or dialogues for peaceful coexistence in diversity to prevent what happened in 2015 elections crisis. These peace dialogues are the solution for every group to prevent rumors and work together for a common solution that is peace for all. They help us understand that we are the first one to rebuild our country. 

One representative of UPRONA political party:

Truly saying, if these peace dialogues didn’t happen what could be our capital city and our country! Peace dialogues helped to leave out the fear that was between civilians and security agents. Mainly between those affiliated to the ruling party and that of the opposition; between youth and the police.

We regret to see that many refugees are from the UPRONA party because what happened before these peace dialogues started. A preoccupation we do have is how IPB-HROC should meet them for instance in Rwanda, RD Congo and Tanzania refugees camps. If not, communicate with those having capacity of organizing these kinds of dialogues there to do them. He advocated for special dialogues including as many as possible those belonging to UPRONA political party and reminding to use JOHARI’s window illustration in any meeting as this helped many participants in dialogues.

One representative of the National Police

I don’t have word to express my gratitude to be part of this dialogue for peace coexistence. It’s my first time to participate in this kind of meeting and I find this to be the right solution for Burundi. We explored different means looking for solutions including fighting diplomatically or using weapons and so on. Listening to those having been said and the brief presentation by IPB-HROC national coordinator, I sensed I could have chance to participate in the four days peace dialogues that others benefited.

As one of the police team in this dialogue, I will make a share with those remaining in security position and those appointed in Buterere zone. We had nostalgias to meet with IPB-HROC staff after learning on how they made a positive intervention during the 2015 election crisis as unarmed civilian peacemakers. Our main question was to know how a civilian accepted to be between armed groups and succeed to convincing them to sit together and converge toward a peaceful approach and be led by civilian organized in local organization when international organizations are failing to do so.

The violence between the police and youth demonstrated how much the cycle of violence and revenge has rooted. IPB believes that the lasting way of breaking it is “to create a future generation that is healed from trauma, mastering the peaceful management and responsible leadership”.

To reach there, each young one must contribute in one way or the other. For this end, IPB continue to organizing Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities basic workshop with secondary schools in Bujumbura. This was conducted in Cibitoke school II on March 20 till 22, 2019 aiming at (i) helping them recognize and understand trauma, (ii) knowing how to deal with it, (iii) knowing that life must continues after a traumatic event, and (iv) helping them to reconnect themselves to their communities and rebuild society. Twenty five (25) students were present among the 12 females and 13 males

Following are some testimonies from the basic workshop

Lydia

Something that wounded me mostly was my mother's sudden death. I left home in the morning that day she passed away. We said bye to each other and shared best wishes of meeting after class. Without taking much time at school, I saw my uncle coming to our school very calm and ask for me an authorization of going to see my mother who is at the hospital, he said. I asked him did she have an accident since I left her in good health. My paternal uncle told me: no. And I added by asking: is she seriously sick? He didn’t say: the time I left she was not.

When we reached the hospital, I saw people there crying some saying “why did the Lord take her young”. Others blaming them by saying: what could we have done and we didn’t to avoid this sudden death we assisting today.  In this situation of noise and crying, I find myself crying too without any control. Since then I failed to accept that I lost my lovely mother. During the night I’m dreaming many time being with mother and after those dreams I become hopeless and my capacity of memorizing things such as studies has gone away. I developed isolation since I don’t want to collaborate with those still having their mum when I missed. I do have many symptoms of trauma we have learnt in the HROC basic workshop. Despite all those negative stories about my life, I’m glad to have participated in the workshop where I come to learn about trauma, its consequences and ways to overcome from them. I have never shared my history because I knew I was not able to afford it. When I was telling about it, I felt little by little released from the burden I did have.

I commit to assist others starting by my family members using the little I come to learn and continue expanding my own healing

Fulgence

Something that wounded me and still wounding me till today is the fact that I felt the national test alone when those who have an inferior note to mine passed. I discovered this when I went to look to the poster table and found my name was not mentioned among those who succeeded. I still remember that one of our teacher found me there and asked how the situation in matter of succeeding was. I asked how it happened that I was not on the list. He told me, “Condolences” and he continued by telling that one of the teachers made an opposition that I could not be accepted for the next class and was decided like that. I failed my mind and missed what to say next and I quickly move from the place with a lot of tears on my yes. Until today I ask myself why I failed and question am I going to pass this school years and tears come to as I don’t have any assurance that the teacher should not do the same as last year. I live a disappointed life in matter of studies.

To see the same teacher in front of me during a class of 50 minutes today is comparing to a whole week looking to the level of jealousy I do have toward him.

Having participated in this workshop about trauma and the ways of managing it is an added value to my daily life. I decided to pardon the teacher to live peacefully and be able to stop the consequences that the trauma is having on me. I’m glad to learn that after traumatic event, life must continue. I will do all what I can to assist myself, my family.

Alain

We were two boys and four girls in my family. When I was still in primary school my older brother died and I stayed only one boy with four girls. This death wounded me at the point that whenever I see others boys playing with their brothers. I isolate myself and said in my spirit why my brother died and I don’t have another boy to play with or share a same room. The extreme case is during our family promenade in nature or at the beach. My sisters have common ways of enjoying themselves in which I participate easily. There are others which are dedicated to females and those for males. During those dedicated to females by culture, I don’t have any way to adjust myself to them except isolating myself and became automatically and think about my older brother who died and felt me alone. I have developed jealousy to those remaining with their brothers in my inner heart. This situation has developed negative consequences in me. The workshop on trauma healing using HROC approach was very profitable for me. It helped me discover the implication of my old brother on me and what are the consequences. What is very important is to know what to do and how to do it to recover from those consequences.

More thank for IPB/HROC 

Liliane

What wounded me mostly in my life was my grandmother’s death. She loved me and the other grand children very much. What shocked the whole family more is that she died without knowing to what sickness she was suffering and none of us believed she was going to die after a very short time as it happened. She was very important for the whole family and has showed love to anybody. Her death left within our family serious hatred as one of her daughter-in-law was accused to have poisoned her. Today through gossip, each parent advises his/her children to not eat or drink something given by her. This has created a family members division which has negatively effected the whole family and mainly children. It has created a fear and hopeless on living longer whenever the one accused to have poisoned our grandmother still alive. Anyone who gets sick within the family, the first reaction is to look for a local healer before any nurse or physician. This situation has consequences on me and other family members

To have been part of this basic HROC workshop helped to know about trauma and ways to overcome from that was much needed for me. It’s a privilege for me to get listened as an opportunity of healing from my wounds and I fell a little bite released. I commit myself to help my family members using the little I learnt. If possible I will recommend them to meet with IPB/HROC’s people or participate in a similar workshop.

The violence between the police and youth demonstrated how much the cycle of violence and revenge has rooted. IPB believes that the lasting way of breaking it is “ to create a future generation that is healed from trauma, mastering the peaceful management and responsible leadership”.

To reach there, each young one must contribute in one way or the other. For this end, IPB  organized a Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities basic workshop with secondary students of Cibitoke school on February 4 till 6, 2019 aiming at (i) helping them recognize and understand trauma, (ii) knowing how to deal with it, (iii) knowing that life must continues after a traumatic event, and (iv) helping them to reconnect themselves to their communities and rebuild society. Twenty one (21) students were present among the 10 females and 11 males.

Following are some testimonies from the basic workshop

Vianney

I was traumatized by how my mother was mistreated twice by my father. First of all my spent one year without getting pregnant and my father’s reaction toward her was to marry a second wife.  The second wife was the first to give birth to a girl. Five months after I was born and we grew up in a same compound. One day when preparing rice to cook, my mother asked to that girl to bring to her a basin to clean the rice and she refused. My mother slapped the girl and unwillingly she injured the girl on the noise by the watch my mother was wearing on her hand. On the morning when my father wanted to know how the girl was injured, she said that my mother injured her with a machete.  My father got angry and beat my mother very strongly without asking to her the veracity of the message given by the girl. It’ was the first time I saw my mother and my father in an opened conflict such that one. That act wounded me to my mother being beaten in front of children and other relatives. I got shocked at the point that I failed to follow my studies that year and I repeated the same class. My wish was to see my half daughter one day asking for forgiveness to my mum but in vain. On the other hand I wanted to see my father value my mother and managing conflict in a way parties in conflict are given opportunities to express how things went on and my father becoming a mediator instead of having privileged to one side. My father’s way of dealing with conflict that happening between his two wives and children from the two sides continued to preoccupy on me till today. After learning about trauma, its consequences and the ways to overcome from it, I got new insights about my family including my father’s behavior which relate to trauma. After sharing about our personal traumatic events we underwent, I feel released and I knew that my family members need to pass through this process of healing from trauma and this should lead to the family reconciliation and peaceful ways of dealing with conflict too.

Samuel

I started my primary school when my family was living a comfortable life. My father was a businessman and my mother was taking care of us.  When I reached the 6^th grade, I knew my father's possessions in term of plots and places rented by my father in the market which were procuring monthly contribution in term of finances. When I reached the 7^th grade things started to slow down until I missed school fees. I doubted how things could reach that unbelievable point. I asked my mother what happened and she didn’t tell me anything. In my own investigation I found that my father had sold all plots we had and all rented places in the market had been removed to him and given to others. Things became worsen until my family failed to pay for my school fees and we eat by chance at home. When my classmates knew that my family was no long able to pay for school fees or bus ticket they gossiped about it one to other ear by ear and I felt ashamed and I started to isolate little myself by little until I stayed alone at school or when coming or going home. Whenever I asked my father what happenedr, he reply that I didn’t have the right to ask that and I was strongly angry. I got someone to pay for my studies which is the reason why I am still attending the school. I lost parental affection. I don’t have any convenient place either school nor home. I have been trying to give me peace in vain. Following the HROC basic workshop I come to attend and sharing my personal traumatic experiences, I feel a little bit released. I commit to do all what I can and progress within the process of healing and also assist my parents too. I wish IPB should invite my parent in a similar workshop

Alice

I live in CARAMA III.  My parent separated from each other three years ago. This was due to the fact that my mother got pregnant when my father didn’t want to get another child. He urged my mum to do abortion. My mum on her side refused this suggestion following her religious beliefs. The misunderstanding on that gave to an internal separation where my father chased my mum from the family bedroom. My mum moved to another room.

As I study in a school where I stayed for a whole trimester, it’s during vacation that I discovered this situation. When I wanted to know what happened, each one kept the secrecy.  During the vacation of the second semester, I found that my father had chased out my mum in one hand and in the other my father was in jail. My mum took opportunity to share how things developed between them. I learnt that the bank wanted to sell our house because my father took a loan and failed to reimburse back. Since my father made quarrels the police decided to put him in jail. I was totally overflowed by this bad news at the point of missing  consciousness. My classmates comforted me in vain. I was deceived by my parent who didn’t want to inform about what was going on. I didn’t know that my father took a loan as I didn’t know for what reason this loan was claimed for and what realization was done. During the vacation following the third semester, I found the house already sold. We were received in a center of charitable people who assured accommodation only. There still how to get food and other needs including school material and fees. This year I attended the class two weeks late.  

This workshop came in when I was at the last point of mental explosion. I’m glad that I managed to share my traumatic experiences and I wish I should continue until the total healing. I commit to assist my family that is very traumatized if I look on each ones behavior

Remah

I’m a Muslim. I’m the eldest of seven children. Since my childhood, I like playing with boys as I had more confidence in them in term of secrecy and my friends were boys and never ladies as I am. When I reached the 6th grade of the primary school I succeed the national test to attend the secondary school. During the vacation one boy invited me to visit him. Reaching to his family home, he welcomed smoothly and started to dialogue very wisely. After a certain time, he asked me that I was ready to help him and I replied thinking it was a work to do. He then asked me to take off my clothes and I knew he wanted sexual relations. I begged for pardon and finally he penetrated me sexually.  After some days my mum started to check if I didn’t have any problems and myself to tell her no problems at all. All these were due to the fact I was ignorant in that matter. Finally my mum told me I’m pregnant. I was very disappointed  and I went to look for the boy with whom I got sexual relation to tell him that I’m pregnant and by chance he accepted the fact without hesitation and he accepted to meet my father since he didn’t want me to stay at his home. The dialogue between my father and the boy was not fruitful and as the result, my father chased me from his home. He was insulting my Mum as if it was her who didn’t discipline me. Since my mum loved me much despite this incident that happened to me, she took me to my grandmother to calm down a little bite the situation until I gave birth to a boy on March 29^th, 2013. After giving birth my mum decided to bring me back home despite how angry my Dad was due to what happened to me and the big gap I created between my Mum and my Dad. Today, the situation has normalized itself. My Dad accepted finally his son-in-law and my child is getting help from his father. Now the confidence I had toward male has gone since one of them deceived me and had refused to consider the crying and begging I made toward him and finally violated me sexually. This has wasted my future life and confidence I had toward my parents. I appreciated this workshop that came to teach us that after traumatic event life must continue. I had never got chance to share what happened and get opportunity to discharge myself from the grief I underwent during my pregnancy period.

Many thank for IPB and its donors

The violence between the police and youth demonstrated how much the cycle of violence and revenge has rooted. IPB believes that the lasting way of breaking it is “to create a future generation that is healed from trauma, mastering the peaceful management and responsible leadership”.

To reach there, universities ‘students should play the remarkable role. For this end, IPB  organized a Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities basic workshop with university students from Kamenge Campus, aiming at (i) helping them recognize and understand trauma, (ii) knowing how to deal with it, (iii) knowing that life must continues after a traumatic event, and (iv) helping them to reconnect themselves to their communities and rebuild society. Twenty one (21) students were present among the 10 females and 11 males.

Following are some testimonies from the basic workshop

Gilbert:

In my life, I didn’t have trust and love towards my mother because I didn’t have the chance of living with her. I was 2 years old when she divorced with my father. At that time, beside me, my mother was having another son which means my young brother. This situation touched me a lot because both my father and mother remarried respectively to another wife and husband. I stayed with my father. The stepmother tortured me in a way that I can’t get words to describe. I was still young at that time but I had to fetch water, cultivate and do other house works. Consequently, I was sick with a cough and I still have some pains. I lived in that situation during 7 months. When I started the high school, I took a decision of dropping out from the school due to the life I was living. In fact, my stepmother was telling me that if I continued to study instead of going to cultivate she was going to stop giving me food. And, she did it in a way that sometimes, I was staying 2 days without eating anything because I attended a school. Whenever my father asked me if I got food, my answer was "yes" to avoid exacerbation of the situation. I could not reveal the truth because my stepmother had told me that she will kill me whenever I could break that secret. I kept living in such situation up to the completion of my high school. Meanwhile, when I was in the pre-final year, I asked my father the cause of his divorce with my mother. He responded to me that they quarreled with each other and my mother decided to leave our house. She went at her family home and after one week, my father took the decision of bring her back. Unfortunately, he found my mother had re married to another man. Then, my father didn’t have another choice except looking for another wife. After, I took a decision of asking my mother the cause of her divorce with my father. Surprisingly, she responded nothing. From that day, I was shocked by such kind of reaction of my mother and I got hatred towards her because she didn’t even comfort me after telling her all the problems caused by my stepmother.  I reached to the point that whenever I met my mother, I was calling her in her name while greeting her which is unfair in Burundi culture. Even on the phone, I could unhook her call or refuse categorically her greetings. 

However, after the teachings received in this basic HROC workshop, I really changed and I understand now that it is all about trauma. I decided to forgive my mother together with the children of my stepmother. I renounce committing revenge I had planned to the children from my stepmother. Therefore, I am thankful for this teaching as they helped me a lot. Thank you!

Divine

First of all, I thank people who sponsored this important workshop. As universities, I know we can’t afford to pay for it reason why we come to attend it freely without any charge. During the three days’ workshop, I come to learn a lot of things which will help me in my future. Something which made me happy in this workshop is the fact that I got to know how my psychological state is and how I should help myself to overcome trauma. Now I know the way I should help others by informing about trauma healing with love and empathy. Before, I had a problem. Whenever a person came to me and shared with me his/her difficulties of life, I could help him/her but then, I remained with those difficulties in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about them and, at the end of the day, I couldn’t find peace in my heart. After participating in this HROC basic workshop, I got to know the causes, symptoms and consequences of trauma. We were told also about the secondary trauma when listening to tough trauma experiences. I learned how I can behave in front of people with such problems and the behavior to display after listening to them. Before coming here, I helped people with problems and among them; some took their problems as nothing. For instance, I have a friend of mine who told me how he killed people. He was with them while their grandfather was being burned inside the house. Not only that, he saw his mother being killed and, at that time, his father was run away overcame the death. After the death of her mother, she didn’t get someone to talk about what happened to her. Later, even his father died beside him due to sorrow. The worse thing is that he didn’t get an opportunity of discussing with his father about the death of his mother. That friend and I got to know each other last year in the pre-final class of high school. After listening to him while he was telling me about all those problems of his life, I tried to tell him that after any trauma experience/ event life continues. I advised him to continue his studies. He finally overcame from all those problems and now he is living his life well.

I thank a lot IPB for helping us to understand how we can behave in front of people who experiences traumatic events.

Denis

My testimony is about my father who died in 2010 due to the sickness. He spent 3 days under medical treatment in a hospital, and then he passed away. I visited him at the hospital and I saw that he was doing well. I even told other family members that he could come back home the next day as he even accompanied me when I was going back home. After 3 hours, the one who was taking care of him came at home in a hurry with another story about the sudden death of my father. I was shocked by this bad news and for me; it was as if that was the end of our lives because we could not live without the support from my father as our family was poor. I remembered how my father was giving gifts whenever I succeeded at school. Then, I thought I could not continue with my studies. Glory to God, I continued my studies as I had an old brother who completed his studies and have supported me up to now. Something that shocked me more was the fact that my father died before I finished my studies. In fact, in my thinking, I had a vision of thanking him for all what he did for me.

After following the workshop of HROC, I feel very good as I had an opportunity of bring out all the pains that I had. That is why; I invite everyone who has problems to find a trustful person to whom he can tell his/her traumatic experiences of the past and his/her life will change.  

Rita

In my life, I was traumatized by many things including the loss of many people starting with my father during the fighting between rebel movements and the royal army. My father had 4 sisters and he was the only one son in his family. Among his sisters, one became a nun. After the death of my father and two sisters, the nun gave up her call in order to help the orphans left by the missed ones. I was traumatized by the death of one of my cousin called Odette. She was in the last year of her secondary school. She was mistreated by her stepmother at the extent of poisoning her and she was brought at the hospital. My aunt asked me to visit her at the hospital. Then, when I reached there, I saw Odette in a painful state. I called my aunt to tell her that Odettte was suffering so much. After short time, the nurses came in they urge me to buy milk for her. She didn’t drink it as she was in agonies. When the nurses came back, they requested me to leave the room and few minutes after, they informed me that Odette passed away. As alone, I couldn’t figure out how to behave in a situation like that. I called my aunt and I told her that Odette passed away and my aunt feel into  unconsciousness. Following Odette’s death my aunt stopped the help she was offering to the orphans. The brother of Odette was disturbed by her death. I was also traumatized by her death. Today in our family many people are suffering from trauma including myself.

I’m thankful for IPB which helped me to speak out all of this. I wish there should be follow up to reach a full healing and learn more about assisting others as I wish I should assist my people in my family and community.

Many thank for IPB and its donor

Context.

In responding to the new urgent calling launched by headmasters of secondary schools in Bujumbura, IPB/HROC is continuing to conduct workshops and follow up sessions to implant peace clubs there as a way of assisting psychologically students affected by the 2015 elections crisis and contribute to restore social cohesion within the community.

One (1) HROC basic workshop was conducted (i) to help students at Cibitoke secondary school recognize and understand trauma, (ii) help them know how to deal with trauma, (iii) help them to know that life continues after a traumatic event, and (iv) help them to reconnect themselves to their communities and rebuild society. Twenty five (25) students were present among the 15 females and 10 males

One (1) HROC follow up was organized in Musaga secondary school and 50 participants were there, among them 21 males and 29 females.

Following are some testimonies from the basic workshop

YVES

What traumatized me in my life was the death of my older brother. When this bad news happened, I denied it as I was unable to accept this because he was everything to me. He died suddenly when I was finishing my Primary school and I was very confused without knowing who was going to continue supporting my daily life.  Due to the fact that I was thinking about him many times, I used to meet him in dreams and it was tough for me when I woke up and find that I was dreaming. My behaviors changed by developing isolation, blame and guilt within myself.  Since my family was accusing a neighbor to have empoisoned him, whenever I missed like school fees, my idea was to revenge one day. After learning about trauma and its root causes including bad thing we do or experience, about JOHARI’s window and the fact that life must continue after experiencing a traumatic event, I decide to become a peacemaker within my community.  To reach there I have to deal with my today’s trauma caused by my old brother death and teach about good cohabitation

CHELLA  

What wounded me mostly was a disappointment from my young sister who gave birth to a bastard child. In my region, this is considered to be a curse for the family. My father mistreated all of us and mainly my mother accusing her of not having disciplined her daughter. My father was very disappointed as he expected to get cows as dower comparing how much beautiful my young sister was and how she was admired on her appearance. The more she grew up she became more and more pretty.  People, who saw it, did not understand her beauty.  Looking at the bad and difficult conditions she put us in, I reached a time I was not able to talk to her. Today our family is total disorganized. My father refused to support my sisters and I by the fact that he disqualified all females in our home. This affected me and I have at least five out of the symptoms of trauma we come to learn. After this three day’s trauma healing workshop, I come to understand myself in matter of trauma and I come to learn also how I have to assist my family members including my father. 

It was very crucial to learn that after a traumatic event, life must continue. I know it’s hard but I’m going to afford it. I advocate IPB to give more knowledge that should help us sensitize these good teachings which were more needed for us who were born from traumatized parents and are transmitting this trauma to the new generation we are.

Some testimonies from the follow up session

Livin

One day I was going back home from school. I saw a young boy sitting under a tree near by the road. I approached him and asked him why he isolated from others because there were other young boys playing football. He told me he was hungry and he is an orphan.  I took him to our home and we ate together. Since then, I built a friendship with him as I found he lives not far from our home. Through sharing and following what I learnt from HROC basic workshop, I assisted him psychologically as through our sharing I recognized some trauma symptoms.  In his today’s testimony, he uses to tell me that I helped him to not fall in banditry or brigandage and other kind of deviations. 

Beside that I assisted my family members too. More thanks to IPB for this topical teaching     

CHIMENE

I am the Dean of this school. Before attending the Trauma healing workshop, I was not able to deal properly with the problems of new students of school.  Today the situation changed in using the technical tools learnt during the basic HROC workshop such as  active listening, ways of managing anger and emotions. I am able to know the problems encountered by newcomers  and the rest of students. If I see a student isolating himself /herself, I try to approach him/her to find out what is wrong with him/her and meet common solution. I know now constructive ways of communicating with school administrative board including the headmaster.

More thanks for IPB teachings