With the objectives of facilitating the Community Agents of Change (CACs)'s understanding of the concept of counseling and equipping them with counseling skills so that they are able to support GBV survivors in their local communities; enhancing their capacity for improved response to GBV; equipping them knowledge and skills on Community- Led advocacy, lobbying and networking in order to bring about the desired change in the community, and developing action plans on key GBV issues to inform advocacy; ACFODE with funding from the Open Society Institute once again trained CACs on psycho-social support counseling and community led advocacy.
The trainings, which took place from the 7th –to the 12th of May 2012 in Apac districts (Akororo and Ibuje Sub Counties) centered on topics like psycho social counseling for GBV survivors, secondary stress management, as well as lobbying and advocacy as necessary tools in GBV prevention. 30 participants were trained in each of the sub counties.
ACFODE conducted this activity as a result of a needs assessment that was carried out at the beginning of the project (Building Citizens’ Resilience in Promoting Violence Free Families and Communities) in February where the selected CACs were engaged in a brainstorming exercise on GBV; out of which the need for skills building in counseling GBV survivors arouse.
During the training, it was realized that although several attempts have been made towards responding to, and preventing GBV in the local communities, no specific interventions have been made in Apac to help GBV survivors with services like counseling. As a result, the survivors have continued to suffer the psycho social effects of the abuse which in the long run have not allowed them to function normally in society.
Role plays was the approach used during the training, where participants were challenged to act about some of the incidences of violence in their communities. The presentations made were very touching and this got participants engrossed emotionally and angry at what women go through on a daily basis in their communities. It was after this that the CACs recommitted to fight against VAW.
Participants also overwhelmingly commended ACFODE for the training, most especially the appropriate selection of topics that apply to their day to day activities in the communities. Many of them revealed that by the nature of their work, they receive a number of GBV cases but had very little to offer. They however confessed that the training had equipped them with key skills to respond to GBV cases in the community.
In particular, the training brought to light the significance of counseling/psychosocial support to survivors of gender based violence with the community enthusiastically embracing it as one vital tool in helping survivors become functional members of the society. Below are some of the comments that were given after the training;
• Hellen Adok C/Person of a women group in Ibuje S/C, “As a woman leader I will be in position to help fellow women come out of the challenges of domestic violence. There are so many sad women in my group and we have never thought that talking to someone about our issues would provide some relief from the problem."
• Patrick Ebong- a catechist from the catholic church..”I have always received volumes of complaints from couples under my church, the most recent of a cheating spouse who also tested HIV positive and I could not adequately counsel, I have learnt about referrals and that will ease my work”
• LCIII Chairperson- Akokoro sub county Mr. Richmond Enguny, “this training was spot on; I found this a very significant training considering the level of violence in our sub county, personally am so busy that I usually don’t participate fully in these kinds of trainings, but today I found every bit captivating that I could not afford to miss a session.”
• Sub county Chief Mr. Adongo Hermnino “I appreciate the selection of the participants. All these are leaders in different capacities who we can use to front development issues in the sub county.”
Some of the issues that emerged during this training were; the growing concern by local leaders about the increasing cases of gender based violence in Apac, and the culture of silence normally exhibited by GBV survivors due to fear of rejection by their spouses, community members and relatives.
Margareta Ssebunya
Programs Assistant
Gender & Economic Policy Department
Action For Development
Email: smargaret@acfode.org
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