The Anchor Holds in partnership with Front Line Defenders organized a 3 days Wellness and Security camp retreat from 22nd November to 24th November 2018 in Mukono. The training targeted a group of 13 LBT community members from organizations based in different parts of the country (Kampala, Mbale and Lira). This concept was developed by Transnamic with an aim to equip community members that are not attached to specific membership organizations with protection and security skills.
When Kuchu Times asked about the relevance of this activity, the Executive Director of Anchor Holds, Shawn Mugisha said, "As someone who has done security for a while, I realized that most organizations hold trainings specifically for their members. But these same organizations will organize social events and their social spaces will be accessed by community members that don't belong to any organization. This raised the question 'How do we protect this community member who does not not belong to any organization so as to protect the general LGBT community?’ " He believes that imparting this knowledge to such community members will help keep them safe and also encourage them to share it with other members of the LGBT community in which they serve.
The security training was facilitated by HER Internet that led a session on Digital Safety and Transnamic which took the participants through wellness and self-care. The team was also sensitized on the importance of developing a personal security plan through risk analysis and protection planning based on the different communities they live and work.
The camp retreat also gave the participants an opportunity to relax as part of its self care program. Shawn commented that, "As HRDs, we don't get enough time to take care of ourselves. As someone who has suffered depression, I know how important it is for someone to take time off their daily work schedule of 8-5, the routine of everyday phone calls and emails and just getaway. So it is also a time for us to take a break and rejuvenate. We also get an opportunity to network, engage and get to know each other while we learn a thing or two about security."
