Counseling and trauma recovery
Program Description
This is done to parents whose children have shown symptoms of trauma but since we recognize that given the history of Nyamata trauma is very prevalent especially among parents, we do extend this service to other people in our community who don’t have children at Highland.
Program Description
Recognizing the deep and lasting impact of trauma—especially in a post-genocide context like Nyamata—Highland has developed a Trauma Support and Community Healing Initiative that provides counseling, awareness, and healing sessions to both parents of Highland students and the broader community.
While the program was initially designed to support parents whose children showed signs of trauma-related behavior, it quickly became evident that many adults in our community are living with unprocessed trauma, affecting not only their well-being but also their ability to parent, relate, and function socially.
This initiative is a response to that broader need: a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space for healing, extended beyond the school gates into the community.
Why This Matters
- Trauma is generational: Children often reflect the emotional states of their caregivers. Many of the behavioral and academic struggles we observe in children are rooted in the unspoken and unresolved pain of their parents.
- Nyamata’s historical wounds: The community still carries emotional scars from the events of 1994, many of which remain untreated or unacknowledged.
- Community healing promotes school success: A mentally and emotionally healthier home means a better learning environment for the child.
Objectives
- Identify and support parents and community members exhibiting signs of trauma
- Offer individual and group counseling sessions led by trained counselors or trauma-informed facilitators
- Raise awareness on the signs and effects of trauma and how it manifests in parenting, relationships, and child development
- Promote emotional healing and resilience-building within the larger Nyamata community
- Reduce the long-term intergenerational effects of unprocessed trauma
