Life-Changing Mentorship for Tanzanian Girls

To kick off the New Year, the very first activity on the 2019 AfricAid calendar was Counseling Training. New Mentors from both the Kisa Project and Binti Shupavu program took the 4-day course as part of our orientation to working for AfricAid. Some had been mentoring for AfricAid for six months, but most were brand new employees, so it was a great way of becoming acquainted. The class was held at the Kilimanjaro office, so those from Arusha stayed at the homes of Moshi colleagues, and through this experience, Mentors really started to get to know each other as people.

The training was facilitated by a professional counseling trainer, Mr. Niyimpaye (or Nickson) Kataze, and included main topics such as: self-awareness, basic mental health, various types of abuse, counseling skills, and stress management. Mr. Kataze’s participatory way of conducting the training gave Mentors a safe space to express ideas and thoughts. Mentors were encouraged to share emotions. He also made sure that the team was energized by playing relevant games after every session.

To be a good Mentor, you must be a good listener...

During the training, Mentors reflected on their own strengths and weaknesses, building their awareness about who they are as people. Mentors got a chance to explore how different personalities can be described and grouped, and how this understanding can help them work more effectively with other people. The training touched on basic mental health knowledge. Mentors learned to recognize the symptoms of abuse in order to protect a child against different types of abuse. Mentors talked of their responsibilities in the initial assessments of Scholars and the importance of active listening. The training discussed the causes of stress and how Mentors can manage our own stress levels. Mentors practiced how to manage their own reactions when strong feelings arise.

AfricAid’s Social Worker, Veronica Kilala, discussed the rights of the child in great detail. This reminded the Mentors about their responsibilities with regard to children’s rights. Upholding the rights of a child is not an easy task when most people in a society are not aware of these rights. A primary focus of the training was to better understand how to protect children.

Einoth J., Kisa Mentor, stated "I am really impressed by the training that AfricAid provides to its staff. To me, it is a great way to expand my knowledge and add new skills. The training provided to the AfricAid Mentors not only helps us to deal with our Scholars in the Kisa and Binti Shupavu programs, but is also a great help in mentoring others in our daily life. It has been of great help to me personally. I can easily handle things now without falling into too much stress and depression. It has also paved a way for me to use more techniques to understand my Scholars and provide basic counseling assistance when needed. To me, it is really a forever investment."

The training gave Mentors the skills to make them confident, patient, and good listeners. The training taught Mentors how to deal with a wide range of problems in life, which is very useful for everyone at any stage in life. We agree with Einoth that the type of knowledge gained through the Counseling Training provided for our Mentors is a "forever investment".