Hope is not a naïve ignorance of the world. Far from it. It is a feeling that moves us away from easy despair, to act courageously with hopeful action.
Rebecca Solnit, American writer and human rights activist.
Trauma knows no borders. The conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa rarely makes headlines, although it bleeds into surrounding countries with devastating effects. For 30 years, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has suffered violent episodes driven by the world’s hunger for the minerals in your phone.
What is even less discussed is the impact of these mass atrocities on nearby countries. For instance, inhabitants of Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura, live with the constant threat that battles taking place in the city of Uvira, a mere sixteen miles/twenty-six kilometers away, will spill onto their territory.
An estimated 200,000 Congolese have fled to nearby Burundi. They bring with them terrifying testimony. Their presence has increased the economic hardship already being endured by the citizens of one of the poorest places on earth.
The war also reminds Burundians of their own painful past. Burundi suffered a genocide in 1993, prompting thousands of local people to flee. The following year, the Rwandan genocide, next door, killed an estimated million citizens. Massive numbers of survivors still endure post-traumatic stress disorder in both countries, with research showing that trauma is inherited by the offspring of survivors.
According to a mental health professional in Burundi, “I can describe the situation in Congo as a regional trigger of trauma because violence can rekindle painful memories for those who faced or witnessed past atrocities.”
What is Network for Africa doing about this situation?
For the last two years, we have been working below the radar, with a local non-profit group in Bujumbura. We train medical professionals, teachers, lawyers, church leaders, and journalists in trauma counselling. Refugees from the DRC are also being helped.
Our partner group, which must remain anonymous for its own safety, represents the best of African civil society volunteers: brave, determined, smart, and quick to adapt to a volatile situation. With few resources, they are daily using the training provided by our team, led by Dr. Shelly Evans.
The results, in their own words
According to the people we have trained, we have broadened their knowledge of trauma, adding to their competence in active listening, breathing and relaxation techniques, emotional awareness and patience – the cornerstones of counselling.
I now feel ready to help with confidence.
The training has helped me a lot. I healed myself, and I obtained many techniques that I will use for others who have trauma.
People come to me because they know I listen.
Hope is an action
As we mark World Mental Health Awareness week, we look beyond good intentions and cliches to positive action. Network for Africa wants to build on the skills of the group in Burundi we have trained. They are asking for more support in conflict resolution, communication, healthcare and stress management. We are proud of their remarkable courage in a truly difficult situation. We would show you photos of them if it were safe to do so – but it isn’t, a fact that speaks volumes.
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