A Wartburg College student’s plan to help increase mental health access for refugees in northern Uganda received a $10,000 grant from the Davis Projects for Peace program, but the project has been postponed because the of Covid-19 pandemic.
Sophomore Mercy Umba of South Sudan was to partner with Kajo Keji Health Training Institute, a local organization working with refugee communities in the region. KKHTI would have led training for up to 80 primary health care providers and community sensitization on mental health care issues. Umba was to be mentored by Collins Kalyebi, a senior at Wartburg who received a Davis grant in 2018.
Philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis founded Davis Projects for Peace in 2007 to celebrate her 100th birthday. Davis, who died in 2013, committed $1 million annually to fund 100 grassroots efforts by college students. Wartburg students have received a grant every year since the program’s inception. The organization hopes to roll the 2020 grants forward to 2021.
Today, Uganda is home to more than 1.4 million refugees, the largest refugee population of any African nation. These refugees have witnessed traumatizing crimes and while most have been able to survive it, there have been increases in instances of mental illness and suicide in the camps.
“Prior to moving to Uganda, my parents had a taste of the unrest that has seen thousands of South Sudanese displaced as refugees,” Umba wrote in her proposal. “Being born and raised in Uganda was not enough for me to escape the effects of the war that still linger on in my home country. I have seen some of my family members lose almost everything, including their lives. Having seen and experienced this situation, I look forward to the ability to uplift these communities through my project.”
In addition to providing additional mental health resources, Umba also hopes to empower the refugees through financial literacy training through GenFarm Financial Enterprise. Through the “Send a Cow” initiative, families will be provided with a cow and the skills and confidence they need to get the most from their land.
“Our goal is to ensure that we leave a lasting impact on the communities, and we have strategically galvanized our partnerships to ensure this,” Umba wrote. “As locally owned organizations, both KKHTI and GenFarm have similar interests in the well-being of their people. We believe that putting them in charge will ensure continued support towards the activities started through this project. These programs are critical to resettlement and healing, as well as sustainable peace-building which cannot happen with psychosocial peace-building.”
Sophomore Mercy Umba of South Sudan was to partner with Kajo Keji Health Training Institute, a local organization working with refugee communities in the region. KKHTI would have led training for up to 80 primary health care providers and community sensitization on mental health care issues. Umba was to be mentored by Collins Kalyebi, a senior at Wartburg who received a Davis grant in 2018.
Philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis founded Davis Projects for Peace in 2007 to celebrate her 100th birthday. Davis, who died in 2013, committed $1 million annually to fund 100 grassroots efforts by college students. Wartburg students have received a grant every year since the program’s inception. The organization hopes to roll the 2020 grants forward to 2021.
Today, Uganda is home to more than 1.4 million refugees, the largest refugee population of any African nation. These refugees have witnessed traumatizing crimes and while most have been able to survive it, there have been increases in instances of mental illness and suicide in the camps.
“Prior to moving to Uganda, my parents had a taste of the unrest that has seen thousands of South Sudanese displaced as refugees,” Umba wrote in her proposal. “Being born and raised in Uganda was not enough for me to escape the effects of the war that still linger on in my home country. I have seen some of my family members lose almost everything, including their lives. Having seen and experienced this situation, I look forward to the ability to uplift these communities through my project.”
In addition to providing additional mental health resources, Umba also hopes to empower the refugees through financial literacy training through GenFarm Financial Enterprise. Through the “Send a Cow” initiative, families will be provided with a cow and the skills and confidence they need to get the most from their land.
“Our goal is to ensure that we leave a lasting impact on the communities, and we have strategically galvanized our partnerships to ensure this,” Umba wrote. “As locally owned organizations, both KKHTI and GenFarm have similar interests in the well-being of their people. We believe that putting them in charge will ensure continued support towards the activities started through this project. These programs are critical to resettlement and healing, as well as sustainable peace-building which cannot happen with psychosocial peace-building.”