The pastoral crisis training that you supported after the socio-political issues in 2018 was attended not only by pastors, but also by youth you participate in CEPAD’s youth counselor program.

Ayla (not her real name to protect her identity), was one of the young people who participated in the training and gained new skills in dealing with families in crisis.

After receiving training, Ayla began attending to people in her community who had been affected by the crisis and also found she could be helpful to families who were suffering for reasons other than the crisis of 2018.

Ayla found a young girl in her village who at 13, had become pregnant through an unwanted encounter with a man who was older than she was. Once the man found out she was pregnant, he left the village but the girl and her family were in a challenging state of conflict and anger.

Using her new knowledge, Ayla was able to provide psychological support and guidance to the girl and her family. She also got the girl involved in a local church so she would have a community of others.

Today, the young girl is 14 and her son is one year old. The case was brought to local authorities so they could pursue a case against the man.

Ayla continues to provide counseling and support to the girl and her family, something that she could not have done without your support of trainings after the crisis of 2018.

Thank you for your critical support of this training. Although the training was inter to heal the wounds of trauma after the crisis of 2018, it also helped empower and train Ayla to help vulnerable girls in her village to overcome trauma.