Finding Peace in Conflict
At St. Kizito our goal is to allow children to return to joy. Your help makes this possible. Photo by Jiro Ose
For several years we’ve searched for a healthy way for our kids and staff to process the trauma in their lives caused by war and poverty. Several attempts to bring in mental health professionals fell short due to the insecurity in the region. However, last month, eleven sisters at St. Kizito underwent a weeklong course in trauma healing taught by Dr. Martin Mombi, a recent medical graduate of Shalom University in Bunia. The program draws on pastoral care and biblical counseling while staying grounded in clinical methodology. Immediately the sisters realized they needed much more training and awareness not only for their own healing but to help the children begin to process what’s happened in their own lives.
As one can imagine, war and its myriad degradation take a toll on a child’s mind and body. According to our program director Sister Francoise Vumilia, most of our children have experienced the death of their parents, or the loss of parents due to severe mental illness or disease. Many of our children are also dealing with having been abandoned by a parent, either due to the strains of poverty or because they were a product of rape by soldiers or militia. Because of this abandonment, our kids struggle with a lack of identity and place or origin.
This trauma manifests on a daily basis in a variety of ways: constant crying, excessive anger, refusal to eat or to speak, defecating or urinating inappropriately, disorderly behavior (such as banging their head against the wall, sudden and disorderly screaming, preference for nakedness, etc.), aggression toward others, weak immune systems, and general disassociation and lack of interest in learning. As we know from research and data, trauma that is left unprocessed slowly poisons the body and leads to greater risks of chronic health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, as well as higher rates of addiction and mental illness.
Dr. Mombi’s trauma healing course was just the beginning. To better address the overwhelming need, CKI plans to send him to Mbarara University in neighboring Uganda for a three-year clinical psychology program. Our hope is that Dr. Mombi will return to St. Kizito equipped to practice other trauma-healing methods such as EMDR, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy on a long-term basis. In the meantime, Dr. Mombi will lead a three-week survey of mental health prevalence in the outpatient clinic of Bunia’s teaching hospital, Centre Medical Evangelique (CME). A psychiatrist at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic will provide supervision.
Dr. Mombi’s interest in this work came through his own personal journey with trauma. During his medical studies he regularly volunteered at St. Kizito caring for our kids. He later became an orphan himself when his father, who was a single parent, died suddenly. Dr. Mombi said he was plunged into “ a state of hopelessness” not only from the loss but also from lack of family support. He’s been surprised at how helpful his own trauma research and administering the recent course has helped with his own healing. “The trauma healing course was very helpful in allowing me to recognize my traumas,” he said. “It gave me hope.”
This is only possible because of your donations. The generosity of your gifts – $10/month or a one-time donation – help keep St. Kizito prepared to respond to crisis and continue its mission to provide shelter, care, and love to our smallest and most vulnerable blessings. In the season of giving, help keep this vital work going.
Donate HERE to help support this program today!
With joy and gratitude,
The Congo Kids Initiative Team