In September 2017 vivo was invited to participate in a one-week exchange workshop in Huye, Rwanda between different organisations working with persons affected by violence in (post-)conflict region of Eastern Africa, specifically in Northern Uganda, Rwanda and Eastern DRCongo.

The workshop provided space to learn and discuss about different techniques on conflict resolution and how to combine and complement economical and psychosocial services for beneficiaries. The following organisations attended: African Child Outreach Trust (ACOT), Hope Alert Network for Development and Local Empowerment (Handle) and vivo International from Northern Uganda; Réseau des Femmes, Umuseke and Association Modeste et Innocent (AMI) from Rwanda; Pole Institute from DRCongo and the two donor organisations Omoana and Eirene from Switzerland.
Two of vivo’s senior counsellors, Peter Oketayot and Doris Adong, and Clinical Director of the vivo outpatient clinic in Northern Uganda Anett Pfeiffer Tumusiime attended. vivo facilitated two days of the workshop to enhance knowledge and skills about traumatic stress and its mental health consequences, how to communicate with trauma survivors and how helpers and counsellors themselves can maintain appropriate self-care.