KENYA
Type of mission
Online Train-the-Trainer in Self-Care and Mental Health Awareness
Step 1: 31 August – 17 September 2020
Step 2: 27 January – 21 March 2021
Where
Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
Partner organization
The Turning Point Trust, Uweza Foundation, and Edinboro University
Beneficiaries
- 22 key workers (teachers, youth mentors, social workers, counsellors, etc)
- Working with 500 children and young people in Kibera
Arts Therapists
Clinical Supervisor: Gretchen Miller
Lead Art Therapists: Sarah Vollmann and Kim Bryan
Programme Supervisor: Dr Penelope Orr
Edinboro University Art Therapy Graduate Interns: Angela Bossut and Sara-Jane Asman
Donors
Background
For Step 1, 22 staff from The Turning Point Trust and Uweza Foundation were trained. They included teachers, social workers, youth workers, football coaches, counsellors, mentors and educational support staff, working with 500+ children and adolescents in Kibera and their families. The beneficiaries attended the sessions either from their homes or from the main office of the organisations.
The overall objectives of the Kibera mission Step 1 were:
- To provide an online Self-Care module and Visual Journal training for teachers and support staff, to strengthen their mental health resilience and coping skills in response to the difficulties being experienced in Kibera and additional COVID-19 concerns.
- To provide a bespoke Train-the-Trainer (TTT) module online to equip teachers and support staff with knowledge of mental health and trauma care through the use of art therapy tools and techniques which can be used to support the children during COVID-19 lockdowns and when they return to the primary school and other activities.
For Step 2, Following an intensive Online ACBT in Self-Care and Mental Health Awareness through Art Therapy, which took place in the Kibera slum community in Kenya in September 2020, The Red Pencil (International) organised a second programme of self-care through art therapy for 2021, working with the children of our partner organisations in Kibera.
With an eight-week online programme running from January to March 2021, our art therapy team helped 16 staff from The Turning Point Trust and three staff from the Uweza Foundation to implement their new skills and knowledge with children from the transition class at Fountain of Hope School and with Uweza Girls Club.
The art therapy team modelled the use of art therapy techniques to create empathy and shared understanding with the children and to help them express themselves, talk about their family situations, hopes and dreams and explore any barriers to their education.
The programme explored themes of self-care with the children, enhancing their capacity for emotional regulation, their confidence in expressing themselves and their empathy and consideration for one another. Using online supervision sessions to discuss the work undertaken each week with the children, the two staff teams were equipped and empowered to implement their new skills, which will enable them to continue working sustainably with over 500 children in Kibera and their families.
emotional, practical and healing support to anyone affected by cancer.
Faraja Cancer Support Trust was founded in 2010 wih the aim of providing
emotional, practical and healing support to anyone affected by cancer.
Video
Type of mission:
Community outreach
Step 1: 4 – 7 April, 2016
Step 2: 3 – 6 Sep, 2016
Step 3: 7 – 11 Nov, 2016
Step 1: 31 August – 17 September 2020
Where
Nairobi, Kenya
Partner organization
Faraja Cancer Support
Art Therapist
Grace Ong
Beneficiaries
27 Trainees and 100 patients
Donors
Vandenborre Family
Background
Faraja Cancer Support Trust was founded in 2010 with the aim of providing emotional, practical and healing support to anyone affected by cancer.
Working alongside several institutions and hospitals such as Moving Cultures and Kenyatta National, Faraja offers cancer patients and their carers conventional treatments like radiotherapy, chemotherapy and complementary therapies like counselling. They wish to take their patients beyond medical treatment through offering them a holistic approach to cope with the challenges of cancer.
The objectives of the mission was:
- To offer training and experiential highlighting the inherent therapeutic benefits of arts
- Implement visual journaling as a self-care tool
- Guide and supervise the trainees in their work with children, supporting the inculcation of arts in their practice
- The exploratory trip aims to link up with medical professionals in Kenya to explore the benefits of Arts Therapy for children undergoing cancer treatment.
010 with the aim of providing
emotional, practical and healing support to anyone affected by cancer.
Gallery
Video
Our work here
Number of missions: 2
Global impact in Kenya: 27 trainees, 100 patients, 22 key workers (teachers, youth mentors, social workers, counsellors), working with 500 children and youths
Partners:
Programmes: Community outreach, Train-the-Trainer