West African Refugee Assistance Program

1. West African Refugee Assistance Program Lanfia T.S. Waritay, M.Sc, M.B.A Tamaa Team Leader Tamaa West African Refugee Assistance Program Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CcTC) Philadelphia, PA

2. Tamaa • Tamaa, meaning “glorious, smiling, hopeful” faces,” signifies the positive message of the hope that the program seeks to instill within the West African population in Southwest Philadelphia. The derivation of “tamaa” from the Swahili root word “hope” is particularly applicable to our target community, symbolizing the complex aspirations of the refugee community to simultaneously adapt to a foreign culture and transform past challenges into strength and healing.

3. What is Tamaa? • A community- and school-based program • Established for West African refugee children and their caregivers who have relocated to Southwest Philadelphia • Designed to meet mental health/social service needs • Targets refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea who: • Experienced war trauma in their homelands and refugee camps • Struggling with acculturation issues in the U.S.

4. Why Tamaa? • Designed in response to a clearly identified gap in the social and mental health service delivery system • The West African community is a significantly underserved population • Community underutilizes services, despite their considerable needs

5. Barriers to Service Utilization • Lack of knowledge about available resources • Fear of accessing resources due to past negative experiences and worry about future consequences • Cultural stigma associated with using mental health services • Limited availability of culturally competent service providers

6. Tamaa’s Services School-Based Components: • The West African Refugee Children’s Trauma- and Grief-Focused Therapy Groups • School Trainings Community-Based Components: • The West African Refugee Caregiver Education and Support Group • Case Management Services • Multicultural Community Events

7. School Trainings These trainings are designed to help teachers: • Understand how trauma affects children’s behavior, school performance, and peer relationships • Gain insight into the cultural backgrounds of refugee students • Understand refugee-specific trauma and acculturation issues Trainings were developed with input from school staff

8. Sample School Training Curriculum • “Understanding and Responding to Traumatized Children in the School Setting” • “Managing Conflict and Diversity-Related Challenges that Arise in the School Setting” • “Understanding the West African Refugee Experience and Its Impact on School and Family Life in the United Sates – Part I & II” • “Overcoming Barriers to West African Parental Involvement and Engaging Families in their Children’s School Experience” • “Responding to West African Refugee Children and Other Children with Different Learning Styles and Learning Backgrounds in the Classroom” • “Understanding and Managing Sexually Reactive Children in the School Setting” • Survival Strategies: Managing Stress and Ways to Take Care of Yourself in the Challenging Work Environment of an Inner-City School”

9. RWJF CAC Grant For Tamaa SchoolTraining Program • Funding will enable us to re-introduce and expand our School Training component for the next 3 school years • At least 7 trainings per year, each 2 hours in length, approximately 1 per month • Curriculum will be developed and then modified each year based on input from school personnel recruited for this purpose • Each year trainings will be held at a different school in Southwest Philadelphia, but open to all staff from the Southwest Region of the Philadelphia School District • Attempts will be made to incorporate trainings into School District’s training calendar • Teachers will be paid for participation, and Act 48 credits will be provided

10. School Training Expected Outcomes • Improved school climate for West African refugees, as evidenced by increases in utilization of mental health services, incorporation of culturally sensitive practices in the classroom, and over the long-term, reductions in incidents of harassment and violence against West African children. • Classroom-based interventions conducted by teachers or outside professionals, which may include conflict-resolution or cultural awareness lessons. • School counselors and nurses become more aware of the trauma histories and cultural backgrounds of their students • Increased number of referrals of West African children and/or their parents to Tamaa or CcTC’s services • Training needs of school professionals to evolve as they develop greater ability to intervene on behalf of West African refugee students • Increased demand for follow-up training or one-on-one consultation. • Learning about trauma and cultural diversity that will be applied to the general student population.

11. Examples of Stigma Reducing Strategies Children’s Trauma- and Grief- Focused Therapy Groups: • Homeroom announcement • Psychoeducation about the impact of trauma on children and expectable responses to trauma • Group facilitators ongoing communication and consultation with teachers Case Management Services: • Focus on meeting basic needs of family first • Psychoeducation with children's parents about impact of trauma on children, expectable responses to trauma, and importance of appropriate interventions • Focus on how services will help children succeed in school and in the community • Avoid using the term “mental health” and metal health jargon when talking to parents Caregiver Education and Support Group: • Focus on addressing those issues that are most important to the caregivers first • Provide psychoeducation to caregivers about the impact of trauma on adults and children, expectable responses to trauma, and when treatment can be helpful School Trainings: • Provide teachers and school personnel with information on the backgrounds and histories of their West African students and families • Help them see problems as a result of trauma exposure and acculturation struggles • Educate them on what services and supports would be helpful and why and how to access them