A mind – body exercise program in Mogadishu, Somalia is helping survivors of sexual violence overcome trauma, according to a report by VOA.
The participants clad in blue track suits matching the colour of Somali flag practice breathing, mediation and stretching.
The participants are survivors of sexual violence and other trauma also undergoing counseling. With decades of war and lawlessness, Somalia has endured, besides the survivors of sexual violence, there are former child soldiers and other youths suffering from trauma or at risk of recruitment into armed groups.
Some say the physical activity and mental concentration helps in feeling normal. The Instructors guide the participants to take control of their breathing and their bodies.
The mind-body wellness program began last year with 12 Somali instructors trained by the Africa Yoga Project, a Nairobi-based nonprofit group. At least 300 people participate in the mind-body wellness classes each week now.
“The response services are getting increased day after day,” Kalson Ahmed, a protection officer for the U.N. Children’s Fund said, “but the prevention activities and the overall system-building needs to be done. We can provide response as much as we can … fund millions and millions, but we didn’t cure the problem.”
