Psych social activities

Dates: 3rd to 12th May

District: Tororo
Counsellors: Kimbowa Samuel and Akiteng Deborah
Activities of the week:
1. Offering psycho social support to the staff members at Tororo cement Limited (TCL)
2. Offering psycho social support to the truck drivers
3. Follow up on the implementation of the recommendations made
4. Offering psycho social support to URA Customs staff
5. Psycho social support to the people at the quarantine centre in Mukuju
6. Follow up on Issa’s family to prepare the home for his arrival
7. Sensitisation of Naluwere community to prepare them for Issa’s arrival.

Tororo cement industry TCI

 Meeting with Mr. Gagrani the executive director TCI who introduced us to Mr.
Mwambo the human resources manager; we made a program on how we would
run our activities without bringing work to a stand still.
 We were introduced to various heads of department s who among others
included: security, Medical, and sales. Focus was in those that come in direct
contact with truck drivers.
 Psychological First Aid (PFA) training was given to 10 staff members at TCL for
purposes of continuity and capacity building

TCI staff
Number counselled 25 Psycho social issues raised
1. Fear: they have come face to face with the reality of COVID 19 given that some
of the truck drivers who tested positive yare their customers whom they
interacted with
2. They feel sad about some of their co-workers who were laid off at work,
3. They fear life may never come back to normal
4. Fear of loosing jobs
5. Anxiety has led to low productivity and efficiency of the workers
6. They live with the fear of having contracted the virus
7. Anxious if what may come out of the results especially those whose samples
were taken
8. They live in fear especially when they see IDI vehicles come around they think
more people may test positive
 9. They don’t have enough protective gear they are each given only one cotton
mask
10. The surrounding community should be checked otherwise it’s a dangerous spot.
The people interact freely with the truck drivers
11. The truck drivers are a nuisance especially to the security team they don’t obey
orders

Group psychological first aid Group psychological first Group psychological first
session with sales department aid session with medics aid with security
personnel

Truck driver
Number counselled 35
Issues raised
 Stigma from the whole country: people call them derogative names like
Corona
 Fear of being arrested it seems like the police are taking advantage of the
situation to treat them as they please
 No toilets, water, food, water and yet they are not allowed to move
 Ugandan drivers have never had their samples taken especially those
who drive inland and yet they come in contact with international truck
drivers some of whom have tested positive
  Fear as some of their colleagues have been arrested at Osukuru police
station
 TCL is not helpful in solving certain problems yet some are a result of
their changes
 International driver’s feel discriminated
 Mask venders are arrested. Police claims some masks are useless yet they
are not told where to get good mask

Intervention
 Building a capacity by offering psychological first aid training for
continued psycho social support even in our absence

Building capacity of Tororo cement staff

through training in PFA

 Talking to the management to find solutions to some of the issues within their controll
 Allowed them to do ventilation especially the truck drivers
 Counselling
 Giving truthful information
 Talking to police and local council authorities to stop harassing drivers unnecessarily or even
taking bribes
 Reporting to the DHO and OC police so that they follow up on these issues and ensure they
are well implemented even after our departure
 Recommendations
1. The staff at TCI should’ve provided with protective gear by the management
2. Staff need regular psycho social support.
3. Truck drivers should be provided with water, toilets, food back to the old park since it had
all these facilities
4. Proper guidelines should be provided to the truck drivers to reduce on the congestion in
the truck park

N.B
At least most of the recommendations were acted upon. The drivers have been taken
back to the old parking area since it has toilets, bathrooms and water. Plans are under
way to get a service provider to cook with in the parking premises so that the driver
movement can be restricted while ensuring they have all services within reach.

Uganda Revenue Authority Customs- Malaba

Number counselled 6
Psycho Social issues
 Some think God is punishing the world by sending COVID 19
 They feel the masks they are given are of poor quality
 The situation has separated them from their families and loves one
They fear with time if the situation continues they may loose jobs

N.B
Most of the staff were not willing to speak to us much as the branch manager had
asked for our help and stated clearly that his staff including he himself are in need
of Psycho Social support. Never the less we offered services to the few who were
willing

Mukuju quarantine centre

Number counselled 12
Psych social issues raised
1. The diet is wanting
2. The beddings are Language barrier amongst themselves
3. Some of them are victims of domestic violence and therefore donot know
where too go after their period in quarantine is over
4. They feel insecure about the presence of some people since their where
abouts are not clear
5. Mild to moderate depression
6. Anxiety as to ho their results will turn out
7. The people who bring them to this place donot give adequate information
Intervention given
 Counselling
 Giving truthful information
 Allowed ventilation
 Reporting some technical issues to the DHO
 Referral for issues that were not within our area of practice

Recommendations
1. Home quarantine should be encouraged especially for those who leave alone
2. Diet should be improved
3. These people should be tested for other sicknesses as well since they are near Mukuju
health center.

Follow up on Issa’s family

Number of people in the house hold 5 people
Issues raised
 Gratuity to the Psycho Social te for being there for them
 Stigma is still a big problem from the community
 They are excited Issa is responding to treatment
 They are excited their results turned out positive
 They wander how the community will take Issa’s arrival

Offering psychosocial support to Issah’s In the attendance was the chairman of the
family area
Meeting with Naluwerere community (Where Issa hails from)
Number of people met 45
1. They are sorry about the pain they could have caused the family
2. They were scared of the situation and this influence their actions of stigma
3. They are willing to accept Issa’s return and support the family

Meeting with community members