Rising from the shadows of war

In 2024, with support from the Trust Fund for Victims Assistance program, AVSI Foundation introduced trauma-healing sessions in Uganda, helping war survivors regain confidence, reconnect with their families, and embrace new opportunities. They're now rebuilding their lives, and reclaiming their future, with their involvement in trades and saving finances for investment.

Cimo Tok Rac Village Saving and Loans Association located in Ayac, Atiaba North, Bungatira Sub-county, Gulu District consists of members who are war victims. Most of them formerly abductees and lived in captivity for several years, in the hands of the rebels of the Lords Resistant Army (LRA). At the time of AVSI community dialogue and assessment they presented a feeling of worthlessness, showed aggressive behaviours, looked sad, constantly worried and could not have restful sleep at night due to intrusive thoughts and nightmares of traumatic events that crippled their potential to get involved in productive ventures, to be able to fend for themselves and their families. Because of these behaviours, some of them experienced stigma in the community and as such lived in despair and isolation.

Frustration, anger, low self-esteem and not understanding what was happening within and around them forced some of these war victims to indulge in drunkenness to escape the pain of their predicament. Some families faced domestic violence and unstable relationships as husbands and wives with episodes of uncontrolled anger lashed at each other making homes unsafe for the children.

Gradually, symptoms of past trauma started to diminish and each week brought new hope and light in the hearts of the war victims. Once the clients were mentally ready to reconnect to their families and communities (learned skills to control emotions, accepted their experience, processed the traumatic events which now became stories of their lives, and supported to develop plans for the future, etc.); the counsellors referred the clients for livelihood intervention.

AVSI livelihood interventions aim at increasing the economic resilience of Sexual Gender Based Violence survivors and war victims and are started after the clients have successfully undergone community counselling either individually or in a group. The week-long training on the Village Saving and Loans Association (VSLA) and Income Generating Activity modules support the war victims to become economically resilient within their homes and communities. This training was effective with the application of the old VSLA methodologies that emphasized accountable leadership, standard procedures, and simple accounting that is easier to understand and to trust. The training approaches helped to empower the war victims with knowledge, self-esteem, building trust and social cohesion among themselves. After training, the clients were grouped into a VSLA, supported to develop a group constitution, and to register with their sub-county.

Through the Trust Fund for Victims Assistance programme, this group later received VSLA kits: cash box, calculators, books, etc.) In addition, a grant of UGX 650,000 (equivalent to Euro 170) was given to the group (deposited into the group VSLA bank account) as a booster to their businesses. The money that an individual client receives from the IGA is saved in the VSLA and money borrowed from the VSLA is invested in the IGA to raise more income.

The group members meet weekly to conduct group business, share achievements, discuss issues that affect them and support one another emotionally. They are happy, have improved relationships with community members, and are now economically independent and productive.