Celebrating the Healing Journey with High School Students
Celebrating the Healing Journey with High School Students, Building the Future of Rwanda for Africa and the World!
On July 13th, 2023, at the Kagugu Catholic High School in Kigali, over 900 high school students including 150 School Healing Assistants (SHAs), celebrated a 10 week-long healing journey through 42 healing groups facilitated by SHAs. Inspiring healing stories and testimonials were shared by students. Most of the students experience lots of mental health challenges and relational issues due to family conflicts and poverty, which have significantly hampered their school performance, as reported by the Rwanda National Television here.
Mental health challenges among Rwandan youth
Over 20% of the Rwandan general population and other conflict-affected settings live with mental health conditions, predominantly depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). In Rwanda, a study on youth conducted in 2015, estimated the presence of suicidal behavior in over 20% of children living with or affected by HIV as compared to 13% in the remaining children population. Children were at increased risk if they met criteria for depression, were at high-risk for conduct disorder, reported poor parenting or had caregivers with mental health problems.
The same year 2015, another study estimated that 15% of youth in Rwanda were substance dependent. The substance abuse was significantly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and interpersonal violence. Sexual, physical and emotional violence against youth is a big concern, affecting 33% of adolescent girls. The latter have higher rates of attempted suicide than boys, due to gender-based violence (GBV) or family rejection in case of pregnancy, which was then estimated at 7.3%. Unfortunately, access to mental healthcare services is very limited with over 85% people lacking access to them.
In school settings, mental health problems are real, but the school setting doesn’t offer a safe environment for students to speak up about their mental disorders. Teachers and school administrators lack awareness about mental health, and sometimes they don’t take seriously young people who have behavioral issues due to mental disorders; rather, they think it’s a problem of discipline.
The Kagugu Catholic School is the biggest school in Rwanda with over 7000 students, including 5500 in primary school and over 1500 high school students. It’s located in the poorest neighborhood in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. Youth in the Kagugu neighborhood are presumably amongst the most affected by mental conditions.
The School Healing Program at Kagugu High School
The School Healing Program builds on the community-based social healing model’s success in the community setting. It is adapted to the school setting, reducing the number of the healing practices in therapeutic groups from 15 weeks in the community to 10 weeks in the school setting. 152 School Healing Assistants (SHAs) were first recruited, and then trained in trauma and trauma-related mental disorders including depression, anxiety and psychosomatic manifestations, Breath-Body-Mind practices, collective narrative in a safe space and rituals. In addition, they were equipped with group facilitation and leadership skills. 12 teachers were also trained so that they could provide SHAs with logistical support and supervision. Over 800 high school students (predominantly between 14-18 years old) were enrolled in the school healing program, facilitated by the 150 SHAs. The Ubuntu Center for Peace Community Healing Assistants’ Supervisors - professional psychologists - provided the overall mentorship and supportive supervision.
The Graduation Ceremony
After completion of the 10 week-long healing program, students celebrated their achievements and committed themselves to being the light for other students. The event was animated by Breath-Body-Mind practices, traditional dances and other rituals including the light ceremony where participants express their commitments holding candles as shown in the photo. Students shared different inspiring healing testimonials which include healing from depression and anxiety, character development, and improvement of relationships with their fellow students. The event was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Gasabo District, Kagugu Sector and Save the Children International. The program will continue this year and reach more students to improve their mental health and wellbeing in the Kagugu and other high schools.