Brief testimonies of the THARS Impact
- I now see that I can be useful in the community.
- What I am going to change is to adapt myself and know what kind of language to use during the conversation with my friends or neighbours.
- These instructions have touched my heart. They have allowed me to know myself and the way conflict should be resolved.
- I am going to improve myself; I am going to walk the AVP behaviour. I am going to help the community where I live because I liked so much these teachings.
- I have come to get more power to change the community in resolving conflicts without using my own strength.
- I am going to give my energy in giving contribution where I live to prevent conflicts without using violence; I will listen to people with wisdom.
- For myself, let me really say thank you. These teachings have helped me know the good that is within me and the good that is in somebody else and together with can transform our community.
- Since there is that of God in every human being, I need to love him/her and respect him/her.
- This training have helped me to understand that regardless of anyone’s existence, everybody is important for the society and everyone possesses the richness in him.
- I will never bypass conflicts without giving my positive contribution as I have noticed that there is power in me to change the community.
- I have realized that even though I am not be important, I can help in the transformation of others.
- I now know which way I need to follow to save myself from getting into trouble and help somebody else when I get in a difficult situation.
- I feel as if I am a new creature, with strength to go on with life.
- I will never give up upon myself, I come to understand that in me there is power that I can build on to make necessary changes and go on with life.
- I will be praying for you so that the vision you have will be fulfilled and that you may continue to help people restore they health. May God bless you!
- I am going to talk good about you wherever I will be.
- I am going home with more courage. I did not know I have this people to change myself and my neighbourhood.
- I am going to do all I can to avoid violence where I live.
- I have understood that if you want to change the community it is not necessary to accuse them.
Alexis Hatungimana
I learned a lot during the workshop. But the skills of helping clients, with a mindfulness of their faith was very important. Also the basic therapeutic support for the needy was helpful. I also had not known the CBT approach as well as my own care.
I have used what I learned in the training of other interveners’ workshop organized by the International Organization of Migration. These people even though most of them were trained clinical psychologists they said my teaching was new to them.
Niyibigira Alexis
I was very much encouraged and also empowered by the training. The Rogerian approach was particularly helpful to me because of its flexibility to relate to the traumatized person from his/her context and environment. I had not learned any skills on how to avoid or manage my own secondary trauma.
I have used my learning in various capacity including capacity building of local organizations that are involved in giving psychosocial support to the traumatized communities. These intervenors are not experienced but they have found those of us at THARS as being able to help them efficiently because of such training that we have received from the professionals.
Claude Ndayizeye
Honestly speaking, I remember almost everything I heard in those workshops. I have had privilege of participating in those workshops since 2011 and the copy book in which I took notes has always been with me. I have carried it in every workshop I attended, whether as participant or as a facilitator. It is like my small “bible” in my job. I remember all the teachings on trauma, neurophysiology of trauma and its process, the work of amygdala the principles of treatment according to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the healing of our thoughts. I still remember the assessment of trauma using some tools. Oh, the teaching on why the loving God allow traumatic events and the spiritual warfare or fighting against the spirit were some of the complex learning to me. I remember we always had community programs for children including the use of the parachutes. In every project I implemented since, I have always used the teachings such as the principles of “healing thoughts”. In the Rescue and Rehabilitate the Children project I worked with street children, prostitutes, Batwa children, I used the techniques I learned to help them change the negative ideas they have on themselves. Since 2011, these children are now grown up proud boys and girls, and they are thankful. I remember the tools given to us in 2011 including a mirror to use before or after the session to control our look, tools to stimulate our senses (beautiful pictures for the sights, perfume for the nose, soft clothes for the touch, candies for the taste, soap for the skin, egg to shake for the hearing). I still have the black egg and the piece of soft clothes and the pictures but the candies and perfumes are no more. I have translated my notes into Kirundi and made them available to my colleagues. I am also using all the teachings in my personal life. My positive thoughts since then has impressed many including my wife.
Muhitira Lambert
I learned that the psychosocial support to the traumatized people is the most important service you can ever give to anyone. I learned that I must take care myself in order to support others. I was exposed to different approaches to choose from in my helping profession. Before I attended the workshop I confused all the approaches and I was ignorant to the ones that were most efficient. I liked the CBT very much because it changes the thinking of the clients to positive things and also Gestalt that helps the client to interpret what is going on in the body of the client were very helpful.
I learned that the work of a psychologist is like the work of Jesus in His saving work of the humanity and that forgiveness, reconciliation and justice are the three elements that are important for the healing of our country. As I apply what I have learned, my counseling work is no longer a cross. I enjoy it and feel I am doing the right thing.
Kwizera Esperance
What I have learned is not only helping me in my professional work in the Therapeutic Community Room, but also in my community as I interact with people in villages. I am also using the skills I learned from the professionals in my church particularly when couples come to me for help/counseling. I find that I have got a lot of resource that I did not have before attending the workshops.
Niyuhire Pelagie
I work the Southern part of the Burundi, at the border with Tanzania, with both internally displaced people and returnees. I learned a lot about trauma healing during the training. For example I understood that trauma is the lack of good collaboration of parts of the brain, such as those responsible of storing the information in a proper way. I found that in my part of the country, it was necessary for me to learn about forgiveness and reconciliation because my clients now refer to these elements. Now I know how to facilitate the reconciliation of those who left the country and those who remained in the country.
Nahigejeje Joyeuse
The training I have had was very beneficial. I learned for example that childhood traumatizing events can affect in the marriage. I did not know that. As I apply my training in my everyday walk I keep on seeing family issues that come from the childhood issues that were not healed. I am dealing this with my clients. I was so impressed by the fact that love and respect in the family must be unconditional and how this is reinforced by the intimacy of the couple, speaking to each other loving words, holding hands and walking together, etc.
I remember, during the training the professionals got us through an exercise in which we had to show things that made us who we are today, how was our relationship between our parents and siblings, ect. Here they were teaching us that most of the things we do today might be things we saw during those years while we were still children. I learned this and was happy to know how to help my own children so that they may grow healthy.
