By Elie NAHIMANA | Project leader
IPB July 2021 Narrative Report
July 2021 month’s period was characterized by the National Independence celebration whit more than 60 representatives of countries and United Nations’ organizations , the presence of more than four thousands Burundians living aboard during the week of the diaspora and many refugees continuing to come back home. IPB is continuing to sensitize the COVID 19 prevention
A three days trauma healing basic workshop was conducted in favor of Batwa group where sixteen participants were present from July 18 till 20, 2021 including eleven female and five (5) male.
This activity aims at helping this group understand what is trauma, its causes, symptoms and consequences and the way to recover from it. it was also a good opportunity to sensitize for effective reintegration of returnees.
Revocate
What wounded me mostly was the fact that my mother forced to abandon my studies after my primary school in favor of my brother. What saddened me mostly was the fact that my brother failed to finish it as he was not willing to follow it. Those with whom I was attending the same classes are taking good position in the politic at the national or regional level. I kept nervous against my mother and hopeless for the future. The consequences of this is the trauma I’m holding that is manifesting itself through different symptoms that we come to learn during the three days. As effects I was relieved by the personal healing journey, the way of dealing with our anger and the way of overcoming from trauma.
During the tree of trust illustration, I was comforted by the fact that my children are following their studies with success. Two of them has finished the secondary school and are attending the university.
More thanks to IPB that reserved this kind of training to our group that many organizations lives behind.
Pascal.
I got traumatized by the injustice I met because I belong to Twa ethnic group. I was born a protestant Christian and attended the Sunday school since my little age and became a pastor after my studies. When the multiparty of 1992, I switched from the church to the politic. Being a single from my ethnic group, I competed a member of the parliament. After convincing almost all Twa from my province to vote for our political party, I got replaced by someone else from the Tutsi ethnic group. I got intimidated until I fled my locality. It’s difficult for me to forget the injustice I went through and the decision I took to drop my pastoral calling that I regret until today. Whenever I start to think about that, I miss sleep and pass a whole night with bad feeling in my heart and my stomach. Consequences of that are a series of trauma symptoms starting by isolation, lack of asleep, alcohol drinking and other bad behavior in my family and community in general.
I come to benefit from the compassion and empathic listening and the fact that after traumatic events, life must continue. I’m glad to know the causes of my bad behavior and the way to overcome from them. I had never said this as I didn’t know the causes. More thanks for IPB for these teachings. I advocate for others mainly those belonging to Batwa group as they have been exposed to trauma causes for many decades.
IPB is grateful for the AGLI continuing support to foster peace in Burundi
Elie Nahimana
Project Leader
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