{"id":10902,"date":"2025-08-26T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T11:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/?p=10902"},"modified":"2025-08-22T15:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T14:14:54","slug":"uganda-catholic-sisters-offer-trauma-care-to-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/08\/26\/uganda-catholic-sisters-offer-trauma-care-to-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda: Catholic sisters offer trauma care to refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past five years, Sister Linah Siabana, a mental health specialist belonging to the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, has been working in settlements near the border with South Sudan in northern Uganda, helping to rebuild the lives of those displaced by conflict.<\/em><\/p>\n

Uganda is hosting nearly 1.7 million refugees, who are spread across overcrowded settlements. \u201cThese settlements are filled with women, children and elderly people who have lost everything,\u201d says Sister Linah. Adjumani District alone is home to over 54,000 refugees.<\/p>\n

Sr. Linah arrived in 2019. In 2022, she led a year-long needs assessment in the Maaji and Agojo settlements. She worked alongside local leaders and learnt the local languages in order to gain an understanding of the struggles faced by the residents.<\/p>\n

She uncovered widespread trauma, disrupted education and fragile coexistence between refugees and host communities. In response, she secured scholarships, launched vocational training programmes and organised therapy sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpiritual care can rebuild resilience,\u201d she says. \u201cIt helps refugees to process loss, find purpose and reconnect with hope.\u201d On Sundays, she led communion services under a mango tree for those unable to reach a church.<\/p>\n

In a dim tent, Sr. Linah kneels beside a woman who hasn’t slept in weeks. \u201cThe nightmares won\u2019t stop,\u201d the refugee whispers. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the war they\u2019re fleeing,\u201d Sr. Linah says. \u201cIt\u2019s the daily stress of survival here.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the team\u2019s mental health lead, she helps to heal emotional wounds caused by abandonment, hunger and isolation. A recent change to UNHCR policy excluded some refugees from food lists, worsening their conditions. \u201cWhen we provide basics like food, suicide rates drop. It\u2019s that simple,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Working with the Refugee Welfare Council, Sr. Linah identifies vulnerable families through home visits. \u201cThey\u2019re grateful just to be seen,\u201d she says. \u201cOne elderly woman told me, \u2018You remind me that I\u2019m still human.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tensions persist between ethnic groups and host communities. \u201cWe\u2019re not just aid workers; we\u2019re mediators,\u201d explains Sr. Linah. Her team promotes peace through dialogue, but the demand for their services exceeds the available resources and partnerships.<\/p>\n

Beyond the camps, Sister Linah: Linah mentors\u2019 young religious sisters in the Adjumani Vicariate, offering workshops on mental health and spiritual development. \u201cYoung religious sisters crave guidance, but trained counsellors are scarce,\u201d she says. The work is complicated by travel challenges and limited infrastructure, but she remains committed. \u201cEvery encounter is holy ground, an opportunity to reflect Christ\u2019s love.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Sister Linah, the mission is personal. \u201cWe walk alongside refugees and see Jesus in their suffering,\u201d she says. \u201cThe challenges, the hunger and the tears rekindle our purpose: to heal, console and rekindle hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the world\u2019s attention drifts away, her message remains urgent. \u201cThese are not just numbers. They are mothers, children and elders \u2014 people who deserve dignity. We cannot look away.\u201d (Helen Kasaka) \u2013 (Photo: Sr. Linah Siabana with the Holy Childhood group after a communion service) <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the past five years, Sister Linah Siabana, a mental health specialist belonging to the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, has been working in settlements near the border with South Sudan in northern Uganda, helping to rebuild the lives of those displaced by conflict. Uganda is hosting nearly 1.7 million refugees, who are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}