Train Workers Caring for Orphans in Togo

In January and February 2015, 68 orphanage workers in Togo and Benin, West Africa received training. When this project was first posted, the plan was to train 30 orphanage workers in Togo. The training was expanded through a collaboration with Mercy Ships. Their mental health program has been training formal and informal care providers in West Africa since 2007, and this is the first time orphanage workers have been included.

Training started in December of 2014 in upcountry Togo, and ended with a children’s trauma healing workshop February in Benin. During this time, over 300 formal and informal care providers received training: orphanage workers, church leaders, social workers, psychologists, traditional healers, and health care workers.  Direct intervention was provided for 30 children through the children's trauma healing workshop.

Through this training, participants learn the concept of whole person care - providing healing for body, soul, spirit, and social relationships. They gain increased awareness of the causes and symptoms of mental illness and/or emotional trauma, and are equipped for basic assessment, counseling, and referral.  

In Benin, our group of 38 orphanage workers were collectively responsible for nearly 1,200 children! That’s a lot of lives impacted through just that one workshop!

Thank you for investing in these mental health programs.

Links:

• Tributaries Mental Health Program
• Tributaries on Facebook