Ghion Peace, Reconciliation, and Development Association (GPRDA) successfully conducted a five-day Trauma-Informed Recovery and Resilience (TIRR) training for selected local facilitators in Maykadra Town. The training, held from January 13 to 17, 2025, at Jantekel Hotel, aimed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to serve as local focal persons for trauma healing in the area.
Maykadra Town, the site of the tragic November 2020 atrocity that claimed countless lives and left deep emotional scars on the community, remains in need of sustained efforts to address psychological trauma and promote healing. Recognizing this, GPRDA designed the TIRR training to empower local facilitators to support trauma-affected individuals and foster resilience within the community.
The facilitators were carefully selected in collaboration with local community representatives, ensuring their deep understanding of the community’s needs. These individuals will play a critical role in identifying victims of psychological trauma and facilitating trauma healing sessions. The training included practical, hands-on sessions designed to enable participants to cascade TIRR principles at the community level and conduct post-training follow-ups.
In addition to trauma healing, the training prepared participants to contribute to broader initiatives such as social cohesion, people-to-people reconciliation, and inter-community dialogue. This holistic approach underscores GPRDA’s commitment to addressing both the immediate and long-term needs of communities affected by conflict.
The training was delivered by a team of experienced trainers from the Ethiopian Institute of Peace and was met with overwhelming enthusiasm by participants. One trainee shared, “The training gave us a new lens to revisit the lives we’ve lived, the journeys we’ve taken, and the experiences that still linger with us.”
GPRDA remains dedicated to supporting communities in their journey toward healing, resilience, and sustainable peace. This initiative marks a significant step in addressing the psychological wounds of the past while laying the groundwork for a more cohesive and hopeful future.
