School of Counselling Faculty to Serve in Kampala, Uganda
Lecturers within the Wesley Institute Graduate School of Counselling, Paula Davis and Barb Wilkinson, and Practicum Coordinator Val Steele will be travelling to Uganda in the coming month to partner with Wakisa Ministries.
Founded by Vivian Kityo, Wakisa Ministries was established to focus on the physical, emotional, social and spiritual health of women and girls with unwanted pregnancies. The ministry has since grown to embrace other young people traumatized by civil war and strife throughout the Great Lakes Region.
Many of the women and girls who come to the centre are single, victims of rape or abuse, and have been rejected and abandoned by their families. Wakisa Ministries offers support services and shelter within its crisis pregnancy centre, housing up to nearly 30 women and girls at a time
While in Uganda, the Wesley Institute faculty will be serving in a variety of ways. Barb and Val will be running a workshop for teachers which will offer training in skills for caring for students who have been traumatised by events surrounding unplanned pregnancies, and another similar workshop for Mother’s Union women, an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide.
For the girls at Wakisa Ministries they’ll provide a three-day self-esteem workshop, and individual counselling for anyone who requests it. They’ll also be bringing supplies to do craft activities with the girls at the ministry.
Paula will be establishing a connection with a program in Kenya which offers similar support services to Wakisa Ministries, as well services which Wakisa Ministries would like to establish in the future. As a separate event, she will also be visiting Mokono Christian University, where she lectured for a full term in 2009.
Wakisa Ministries receives support from around the world, and members of the Wesley Institute faculty have been involved for several years. In the future, this Institute will explore pathways for Counselling students to have the option of working with the organisation as part of their practicum.
Check back here for updates on Wakisa Ministries and Wesley Institute’s involvement.
