STEPS
Community Based protection
Through its community-based protection approach, the STEPS project works closely with local communities to identify, prevent, and respond to protection risks. This strategy places communities at the forefront of their own protection by recognizing and building on their existing knowledge, skills, and leadership. The project provides training to various community structures, including GBV activists, child protection committees, suicide monitoring teams, women and girls’ safe space groups, and child-friendly space committees. These groups are actively involved in case identification, referrals, and follow-up of the cases they handle. Additionally, the project emphasizes strengthening family and community support systems and encourages positive coping mechanisms among individuals and families.
Community Awareness and Sensitization
In this strategy, the project focuses on shifting harmful norms, attitudes, behaviors and practices that perpetuate GBV, child protection violations and Mental illness. This is done through mass awareness, radio talk shows and door-to-door awareness. Under MHPSS we provide Psychoeducation, a therapeutic approach that involves providing individuals, families, or groups with information and education about mental health conditions, emotional challenges, or psychological issues. The goal is to help people better understand their experiences, improve coping strategies, and make informed decisions about their care and well-being
Individual Case management
Across the sectors of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Child Protection, we offer timely and customized support for each identified case. Within MHPSS, we provide one-on-one therapy and specialized case management for individuals experiencing severe distress, including those with suicidal thoughts.
In the GBV sector, we apply a survivor-centered approach, ensuring that survivors’ needs, rights, and dignity remain central to all decisions and actions throughout the response process.
To enhance access to essential services, we work to strengthen referral pathways by collaborating closely with stakeholders in MHPSS, GBV, and Child Protection, ensuring comprehensive and coordinated support for those in need.
Psychological First Aid
Psychological First Aid is often a first step in a broader Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) strategy in emergency or humanitarian settings. It is a non-professional humane therapy, supportive, and practical response provided by trained personnel or community members to help individuals feel safe, connected, calm, and hopeful.
Team-up
Team-Up is a play-based methodology that targets children within a targeted areas by community-based facilitators at least twice a week for a group of 40-60 children. Facilitators will assess children for any behaviors patterns that indicate that the child requires additional MHPSS support. Facilitators will use the Reach Now tool to identify children in need of additional support, who will be referred after 3 sessions. Referred children will continue Team-Up if the observed behaviors pattern is not disruptive to the sessions.
EASE
EASE methodology refers to Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions. EASE is designed to support children with high levels of distress referred from Team-Up or direct referral from the community, to learn emotional regulation and problem-solving techniques.
The caretakers of children under EASE sessions are also enrolled in EASE sessions to enable the understand the challenges their children are facing and build their capacity to support their children. The sessions will involve a component of self-care to help the caregivers deal with their daily stress and also support their children in managing their stress.
Be there
Is a methodology aimed at fortifying parenting capabilities by reducing stress and bolstering mental health among conflict-affected parents and other primary caregivers. It is intended to enhance knowledge and skills related to positive parenting, as well as self-care for caregivers.
Delivered through nine two-hour sessions, the program is implemented by trained and supervised by non-mental health specialists with separate sessions for female and male caregivers. Groups of caregivers under BeThere are linked to livelihood and other market-oriented opportunities existing in the respective settlements, to participate in the economy through skilling and access to resources enabling them to reintegrate into productive workforce, and increasing their participation in different enterprises.
Problem Management Plus (PM+)
The Problem Management Plus (PM+) methodology is one of the methodologies being used to manage people with mild psychological distress. This methodology was developed by WHO to address MHPSS challenges for adults with mild-moderate distress and focuses on problem identification and managing stressors. It is a 7-session intervention developed in such a way that it can help people with depression, anxiety and stress, whether or not exposure to adversity has caused these problems.
Project Duration
March 2024 to April 2026 (26 months)
Project Location
KRC-Uganda is implementing STEPS project in Rhino refugee settlement in Simbili, Omugo 7 and Eden zones.
Target
The project targets 34,747 individuals from the refugees and host communities.
Objective of the project
To strengthen local organisations’ capacities to deliver emergency response protection services to Congolese, South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable host communities in Uganda, prioritizing newly arrived refugees.
Outcome
2.1 Local partners effectively respond to Gender Based Violence (GBV) and protection risks among new arrivals appropriate to their age, gender, and disability.
3.1 Local partners effectively respond to Child Protection risks among new arrivals appropriate to their age, gender, and disability.
4.1 Local partners effectively respond to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support needs among new arrivals appropriate to their age, gender, and disability.
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