AMY, UGANDA

Amy is a 17 year-old girl from a village in Uganda. She joined later on in the programme so she attended most, but not all, the art therapy sessions. Throughout the sessions, Amy shared her love and interest for fashion, as well as the goals she has for her community.

Amy was then living with her mother while attending her last year of boarding school near Kampala.

When Amy came to the art therapy sessions, she would quietly walk through the doors, and move discreetly to sit in the back of the classroom. She wouldn’t say a word.

Amy looked older than the rest of the group and did not participate at first.

One of the sessions was called “children’s rights."

Amy shared some of her thoughts, and this is when the therapist realised that,

Amy was a young, ambitious woman with dreams for herself and her community. 

Amy was lucky enough to have access to better education than a lot of girls in her country. She had her own strong opinions and a view of the world based on her experiences.

She was more mature for her age, and her quietness intrigued people.

Amy frequently spoke about her love for God.

“The closer you get to God, the more your problems are solved because each and every problem you have, you must consult God before consulting anyone". 

The arts therapy programme helped Amy express herself more openly in front of others, share her ideas, and also gain more confidence. “I am enjoying doing arts even if I am not good at it", Amy said.

As time passed, she talked about her dreams and how God could help her become a lawyer.

“I want Him to help me have a clean and kind heart to help others who are suffering. I want to study law to help children who are orphans and fight for their rights."

As time went on, and days went by, Amy became more and more involved in the group. She liked to learn about the other individuals and loved the people she was surrounded by.

She became more confident in sharing her ideas, opinions, and towards creating art works.

In the last part of the programme, Amy attended almost all the sessions. She was now a part of the group, mingling with the other girls, translating to younger girls who didn’t speak English, and just enjoying everyone’s company.

Her paper mâché bowl represented her moments of happiness, as well as her moments of sadness.

“I am happy when I am with my mother and friends. I am sad like when I lost my dad. Sometimes I am not very happy because I am only with my mum, but I know that slowly I will gain my happiness again".

For the first time in a long time, she was able to express the difficult moments that happened in her life:

“Sometimes I can be in a dark place and I can still stay strong."