We Have Hope Project Summary

Helping Children Find Hope & Healing in Hardship

Exposure to natural disasters, abuse or other challenging circumstances has a devastating effect on the psychological and social-emotional well-being of children. Early intervention can, however, help to mitigate the effect of trauma, alleviate distress and strengthen resilience. For the Two-thirds World access to counseling and therapy after traumatic experiences/exposure is very rarely available. The scars left after these experiences hinder the future of the individual in a significant way. Children are the most vulnerable, as their identity and understanding of their place in the world is still developing. Many children in the Two-thirds world experience Continuous Trauma that they will not have relief from and must learn to live with and somehow cope.

We Have Hope is a basic level therapeutic intervention that empowers local people who have the capacity and desire to become agents of hope and healing for the children in their community. It includes facilitator training, mentorship and program support in addition to the small group curriculum. It has been created in such a way that the material can be adjusted and contextualized in a wide range of contexts, cultures and to assist children to recover from a wide range of traumatic experiences/exposure.

In every community there are LOCAL people with a heart to see children heal. These people are found though a partnership between local churches, schools and NGOs. The community partnership makes a request to We Have Hope (WHH) for the training and materials. The WHH training team seeks funding and partners with LOCAL EXPERTS to train the local facilitators that have been identified by the requesting parties. These facilitators are trained and run 1-3 small groups with children using the lessons/material provided but ADAPTING it to the context and the needs of the children. They facilitate in local languages and contextualize the material as much as possible. The Lessons are all play therapy, games, creative arts therapy, worksheets and symbolic tools created to help children retain the learning and contain what they are processing in emotionally safe ways. The small group will run for an approximately 50 sessions but can continue indefinitely depending on the need. Follow-up training, mentorship and support groups are put in place for all local facilitators. These are ideally supervised by an indigenous professional with higher level education and experience in the field of child psychology.

We Have Hope gives the child a safe space and opens the opportunity for them to heal, build emotional resilience and find hope that life can be more than what they have known. They experience family and a very real sense of belonging; this is in and of itself is transformational. Because they are from the same community they have shared experiences which normalize what they have gone through and galvanizes a determination to overcome the challenges they face together. The solution is unique and effective because it combines basic child psychology with local resources and sound development principals that result is a sustainable initiative that requires little to no on-going funding.

Problem

1. More specialized partners committed to offering help to children who do not have access to proper counselling and therapy after traumatic exposure. 2. Individuals who understand the effect of trauma on children very well and can help to hone the lessons, training and long term relationships established in the various nations that utilize the curriculum. 3. Funds to take the lessons and training to friends in many different nations who are requesting with broken hearts to be equipped to use the material in their communities and help children heal. 4. We have requests from Liberia, Pakistan, Namibia and many communities in South Africa. We have begun training in South Africa and have received funding to train in Liberia (which will be done in July) we need further funding to need the requests we have. 5. Consultation from professionals in the field of Child trauma. Funds to pay a consultant to help with the development of the program from a psychological perspective and a Community Development perspective--creating sustainability within each community trained.

Solution

We Have Hope Helping Children Find Hope & Healing in Hardship Exposure to natural disasters or other challenging circumstances has a devastating effect on the psychological and social well-begin of children. Early intervention can, however, help to mitigate the effect of trauma, alleviate distress and strengthen resilience. For the Two-thirds World access to counseling and therapy after traumatic experiences/exposure is essentially unavailable. The scars left after these experiences hinder the future of this individual in a significant way. Children are the most vulnerable, as their identity and understanding of their place in the world is still developing. Many children in the Two-thirds world experience Continuous Trauma that they will not have relief from and must learn to live with and some how cope. In every community there are LOCAL people with a heart to see children heal. We Have Hope is a basic level therapeutic intervention that empowers local people who have the capacity and desire to become agents of hope and healing for the children in their community. It includes facilitator training, mentorship and program support in addition to the small group curriculum. It has been created in such a way that the material can be adjusted and contextualized in a wide range of contexts, cultures and to assist children to recover from a wide range of traumatic experiences/exposure. The We Have Hope manual contains 16 lessons that can be done in group sessions with children from 8 to 14 years. It is intended as an aid to the relief worker (usually a lay person), to be used as part of first-level intervention assisting children to navigate and process abuse, tragedy, natural disasters or any other difficult circumstances. It will also assist them to be able to identify safe and unsafe people and places; helping them to initiate action that will keep them safe and connect them to safe adults who can assist them. These lessons are not to be used to deal with deep trauma or be a substitute for professional therapy. They will however, help the facilitator identify children who need professional help. The lessons should be used to help children regain normal functioning by establishing a feeling and a greater reality of safety through the training of specific life skills and coping strategies. The authors of this manual wanted to create a curriculum that can be used for early intervention in as many contexts as possible. Wording like “children facing challenges, hardship or difficult circumstances” was purposefully used in lieu of the word trauma to enable broad application of the material and avoid labelling. Often adults see children differently if they have been classified as those who experienced “trauma”. The aim here is to focus on their stories and unique experiences in the development of emotional and psycho-social resilience. Though some children may need to be referred to a specialist for treatment or evaluation, staying away from language that may lean toward diagnosis is important. In addition to language, we have tried to avoid traditional mother and father roles in stories puppet shows and conversation. Do to the unique circumstances each child has at home, these family roles can be addressed according to the needs of children with in each group. Children who have recently lost a parent or who have been abandoned may have deep feelings of loss or anger triggered when tradition family roles are presented. We rather want to normalize any experience of family they have currently and help them identify safe people who can fill in for those they have lost. Principles The following important principles should be kept in mind when this manual is used for group work with children in difficult circumstances: •Children who have experienced catastrophic events (physically and/or emotionally) will initially display symptoms of psychological distress (flashbacks, nightmares, withdrawal, inability to concentrate, etc) •Most children regain normal functioning once basic survival needs are met, safety and security have returned, and developmental opportunities restored within the family and community context. •Some children require more specialised intervention. This manual does not have this purpose. •Children’s participation in decisions which affect their lives is empowering, helping them to regain control over their lives and increase a sense of safety and personal power. •All psycho-social intervention should be grounded in the child’s culture. •Listen to the children. Encourage children to ask questions, answering truthfully. •Consistently set up child-friendly spaces that normalise their lives as children and give them a sense of structure and predictability. •Understand and respect their culture and religion. Involve them in the healing process by discussing their perceptions of their needs. •Focus and build on coping strategies that are part of the child’s culture and in the best interests of the child. •Involve youth in organising activities for younger children. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and contribution that has a healing effect. •Preserve the cohesion of the family, and discourage any activity which risks separating children from their families unless severe safety issues are present. •Promote activities within a familiar environment which allow children to express their feelings so that they make meaning from them and integrate them into their lives, but only if the child is ready for this expression and you can ensure further, on-going comfort and help. •Remain available for the children after the programme has been completed, if at all possible. General Outcomes of the Lessons 1.The lessons will equip children with life skills and coping strategies as a functional response to challenging circumstances and help to restore emotional health and general wellbeing 2.They will create within the child’s context a sustainable support framework which can continue to exist after the program. 3.Children who need professional help will be identified and referred to the relevant counsellors (if possible). 4.Children will develop greater emotional awareness, normalization, language and intelligence. Identifying the choices that are present when they experience emotion. Specific Outcomes The active learning experiences in the manual can be used with groups of up to 8 children to: •create an safe environment and feelings of security in the small group •give group members the opportunity to express and process their emotions •identify and prioritize the relevant emotional experiences within the given context •give group members the opportunity to practise coping strategies •give group members the opportunity to identify people who can support them The Group Facilitator must be indigenous to the context, culture and community. Speaking the same language as the youth or children in the group. The small group facilitator plays a very important role in first level intervention by 1. Facilitating activities, reflection and active learning in the group 2. Facilitating one-on-one lay counselling conversations with individual group members 3. Acting as an advocate and confidant for the child, involving the family as they move through a difficult situation toward wellness. 4. Referring children if necessary for further assistance. The ideal group facilitator can: • apply the material effectively and facilitate active learning experiences • facilitate the creation of a support group for children that gives a sense of belonging and “family” • facilitate lay counselling with individuals and small groups (including families) • refer children effectively for further intervention and counselling • Apply the ethical guidelines for counselling.

Example

In every community there are LOCAL people with a heart to see children heal. These are found by the local church, schools and NGOs. These make a request for the training and material. The training team seeks funding and partners with LOCAL EXPERTS to train the local facilitators. These facilitators run 1-3 small groups with children using the lessons and material provided but ADAPTING it to the context and the needs of the children. They facilitate in local languages and contextualize the material as much as possible. The Lessons are all play therapy, games, creative arts therapy, worksheets and symbolic tools created to help children retain the learning and contain what they are processing. The small group will run for a minimum of 50 sessions but can continue indefinitely depending on the need. Follow-up training, mentorship and support groups are put in place for all local facilitators. These are ideally supervised by a indigenous professional with higher level education and experience in the field of child psychology.