Project Summary
BuildaBridge DR Congo Report 2011
BuildaBridge WAMU CONGO Project Pilot and Survey Project Report and Recommendations November 25, 2011
BuildaBridge was invited by Women in War Zones (USA) to provide arts-‐based psycho‐social intervention with their WAMU Project in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo November 19-‐24, 2011. The focus of the project was to 1) train social workers related to WAMU and Panzi Hospital in arts-‐based trauma intervention; and, 2) provide arts-‐based therapeutic experiences1 to women with HIV/AIDS, those recovering from fistula surgery and from sexual violence of rape.
The project was held on the grounds of Panzi Hospital Monday through Thursday with art-‐making classes for the women two-‐hours per day. Classes were planned for 10 women in each class for 30 total women. Due to interest and a local decision to include all women interested the total number of women participating were over 100 women. Classes were offered in visual arts-‐mural making, dance, and photography. Each class had its own arts skills outcomes based on a theme of the journey of life and focused on hope, healing and resilience (a common theme for BuildaBridge).
Training in Arts for Trauma was provided for social workers related to WAMU and Panzi Hospital lasted two hours per day. Nineteen (19) attended the training with 15 receiving a certificate. Certificates of participation were given to all women who attended all four sessions. A number of the social workers assisted in the art-‐making classes for women.
All classes were conducted in Kiswahili with a mixture of both French and English. Translators were provided for each class and training for two English-‐speaking teachers. Two teachers spoke Swahili, as well as the project director. Materials for the training of social workers were provided in French.
Overall Goals:
- Model and lend support to women and social workers
- Promote resilience through art
- Promote healing of emotional wounds
- To provide additional training to para-‐professional staff
Project Objectives:
- Social workers will gain at least 2 methods/skills to put into practice
- Women will have one concrete output (work of art) that they can be proud of
- Women will increase in their awareness and appreciation of the need for healing (open to art therapy)
- Review the WAMU curriculum used to train social workers for how to make it more creative
- Have women have fun—a sense of play
- Promote cooperation and community among the women
A Team of five Artists on Call were assembled including:
- Julia Crawford, Dance Educator, USA
- Kaylie Sauter, Visual Art Educator, Kenya
- Shem Akinyi, Videographer and Social Worker, Kenya
- Dr. Vivian Nix-‐Early, Psychologist and Music Therapist, USA
- Dr. J. Nathan Corbitt, Educator and Musicologist, USA
Results of Training
Scores in the pretest range from 30-‐70 on a scale of 100. Scores on the post ranged from 50-‐ 76 that is a 66.6% change at the bottom of the range and 7.9% at the top. The average score of the pretest was 55.7. Median score was 53, average sore on the posttest was 62.7 which is a 12.6% change. The median on the post-‐test was 60 a 13.2% change. Overall for the 13 people taking the pre and post test they evidenced an average increase in knowledge of 53.8%.
Asked what new knowledge they gained in the class, the students responded with the following items:
Asked what new knowledge they gained in the class, the students responded with the following items:
- Active listening/recognizing emotions
- Music/art as an intervention method
- The motto (providing a good life)
- Guided imagery
- Mantras
- Compassion fatigue
- Depression as a symptom of trauma
- Rope of Life
- A collaborative and portable mural for the offices of WAMU.
- An collection of photographs taken by the women with HIV/AIDS (permission was given by the group to post in an online photo album)
- The group composed dances that demonstrated the 1) metaphor of resilience; 2) the hard work that goes into growing and; 3) emotional responses to difficult life experience.
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