Uganda (2021)

Information contributed by Flora Tracy Ayee, CRM Teacher and Founder/Executive Director of the Women Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute (WEII) in Uganda

Communities in Uganda suffer greatly from the impacts of chronic stress caused by illness and disease (including malaria), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), child-mothers, school dropouts, land conflict, and other issues. The Women Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative (WEII) Uganda Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® Project provides training in vital resiliency skills to combat the long-lasting psychological impacts of these traumatic issues.

The WEII CRM Project utilizes the Village Health Teams (VHT) program, a Uganda government structure comprised of men and women that are trained to act as the primary, community-level health contact for all villages. They relay basic health information to their neighbors and direct people to various levels of healthcare, selling UVP-subsidized mosquito nets, acting as Water Guard, and supplying condoms. However, they were not trained to handle the psychological impacts of trauma, which have become a leading health problem across communities. This project involved providing VHTs with CRM training to bring critical resiliency skills into communities experiencing trauma.

The goals of this project were:

  • To create trauma-informed and resiliency-focused communities. 

  • To increase hope from unresolved trauma through the use of the CRM skills.

Impact

In the first phase of the project, 55 VHTs were trained in the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® skills in Omiya Anyima Sub County. In the second phase, 139 VHTs were trained in the CRM skills. Both phases demonstrated positive results. For example, a nurse claimed this training helped her widen her Resilient Zone to reduce her experience of secondary trauma. Many participants expressed that the use of the Grounding skills allowed them to experience sensations previously unknown. Some VHTs believe these skills were useful in reducing the impact of trauma in the community.

Flora Tracy Ayee, CRM Trainer, discusses the six wellness skills of CRM and how they help widen the Resilient Zone with Village Health Teams (VHT) program.

VHTs practice Grounding and Tracking skills.

Participant shares her experience during the training with other VHTs.


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