Listening Centers Confront Trauma

People arrive exhausted, hungry, wet or thirsty at the IDP camps after running and walking for days. Armed groups fighting in the surrounding areas fire shells which land in a village; other armed men enter, shoot men, rape women and people scatter. This has been repeated over and over for the past twenty-plus years. Violence, confusion and chaos follow as people flee: families get separated, children are lost, and people suffer wartime violence. The trauma remains.

AGIR’s programs begin in the Listening House. This is a tarp-covered stick-frame shelter with two rooms, one large, one small, but becomes a place of relative peace. One room is one large enough for two or three people to sit and be heard – it is a private place where the world is left outside. Tarps on the ground become “carpet”. Footwear is left at the door. The counselor or psychosocial assistant in charge takes appointments for individual listening sessions, and also hosts therapy groups who meet in this safe space.

An individual can take as long as they need to be heard. They are then assessed and referred for medical or psychological follow-up. When they are psychologically able, they are assigned to a therapy group.

This is the gateway to Twa Weza Shinda – to succeed again. AGIR begins with counseling to determine a person’s unique situation and abilities. The counselors keep track of their trauma, signs and symptoms, and accompany each individual to mental stability and wellness.

The next step is to form groups of people with similar experiences. Here, a psychosocial assistant who lives in the community works with the group over time on trust building. Psychosocial assistants are displaced people who are respected and wise and often a nurse, or teacher. AGIR’s counseling staff train them and follow their work.