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Volunteers trained on psychosocial interventions for women and children

The Maradeca Inc. has organized a training of the first set of 10 volunteers to provide psychosocial intervention for women and children evacuees in a town in Lanao del Sur.

The ten volunteers are slated to train other volunteers later as several thousands of residents continued to stay in the different evacuation centers in the municipality of Butig, whose interior villages have been  wracked by armed skirmishes in April.

The training of the first ten volunteers was conducted at the Maradeca Session Hall in Barangay Ragayan, municipality of Marantao, Lanao del Sur.

The activity was facilitated by Ms. Cristina Lomoljo, the psychosocial specialist from Birthdev, an nongovernment organization based in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte.

The activity aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of 10 volunteers on different approaches to psychosocial support and to improve the listening skills of these 10 volunteers.

Maradeca Inc. said the activity used the participatory approach employing several workshops, inputs and group activities. Different topics were discussed such as understanding psychosocial, overview disaster, psychological reactions after disaster, how to improve listening skills, psychological first aid in supporting people aftermath of crisis events and play activities after disaster.

“These were undertaken with role playing, workshops and open discussions,” Maradeca said.

Maradeca said the training helped the trainees to facilitate psychosocial interventions in the community “especially to those traumatized children and women”.

“The 10 volunteers have gained confidence and able to strengthened their skills and knowledge about the importance of psychosocial for children and women after emergencies.” It added.

The training would provide additional manpower support for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the armed conflict in Butig Lanao del Sur which happened April 10 this year.

This initiative was supported by Caritas Australia.

Ms. Samania Pandita said “I am so happy that I was able to be part of the training”.

“It helps me understand that psychosocial therapy is very important for women and children affected by emergencies. I have learned that psychosocial therapy session is a venue to release traumatic experiences of a person. And if their feelings could not be immediately addressed especially for children, this would have effects into their whole life,” she added.

“I am happy that I could treasure my learnings even if whenever emergencies come in my life, family, relatives and to others,” she said.

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