BY LIONEL TAORAO
ISLES FREELANCE REPORTER IN ULAWA
THE Solomon Islands Trauma Healing Association ( SITHA) has concluded its training for participants on Ulawa Island in the Makira Ulawa province on Wednesday 30th September.
Facilitating the mentoring training, Ms. Maria Luisa Molekeni said that the training is to equip participants with the knowledge in dealing with people who are traumatized and needs assistance.
She said that the training has seven lessons which covers how Care Givers can help traumatized people getting healed as there is no medical drugs to heal a wounded heart.
“There are seven lessons in the training to help participants identify and know what they can do to help people in their communities who are traumatized” Ms. Molekeni said.
“The seven lessons covered are; suffering, physical and heart wounds, Grieve journey, lamenting, Good listening (the counseling part), forgiveness and the last one is taking our pain to the cross, this is where we do a kind of spiritual ritual where we take our suffering to the cross of Jesus with prayer”, she added.
She stated that today, many people have lost their lives because from trauma due to social problems and others and by training the participants, they can help the Solomon Islands Trauma Healing Association as Care Givers in their communities.
“Having completed their training, participants will now go back to their communities and work as Care Givers to those who needed help and this will also save time and money for both the SITHA and the patients from going to Honiara for counseling purposes”, she further added.
Ms. Maria Luisa confirmed that she now have a total of 41 Care Givers around Ulawa Island to help those who are suffering from trauma.
“ We now have a total of 41 trained people as Care Givers on Ulawa Island fully equipped and ready to offer assistance to anyone who is traumatized. They have been trained and I am confident that they are ready to work as Care Givers for the people of Ulawa”, she said.
One participant who is a mother of three, Mrs. Evangelina Kalai’e of Mwajoa, said that as a mother she is very blessed to have participated in such training because women are easily traumatized and she is fortunate to learn how she can deal with such situations.
“ I have learned a lot from this training and I have confidence in myself to assist other women in my community if they need help. Even though it will be quite tough but I am confident that I can do it for my community”, Mrs, Kalai’e said.
Ms. Moleiola said that participants are selected from each communities are gender balanced as from her experience doing counseling work, she find it hard for men to openly discuss issues with female councilors so as with the females towards males.
The Solomon Islands Trauma Healing Association (SITHA) was a newly formed NGO which was formed to do counseling work to traumatized people in the Solomon Islands.
(Featured Photo: Group photo of Mwajoa participants. Photo Supplied)
