Support PSF in memory of the late Prof. Dr. Manassé Bambonyé

Prof. Dr. Manassé Bambonyé returned to Burundi in 2009 with the vision of strengthening psychotherapeutic capacity and improving access to treatment. In pursuit of this vision, he established a curriculum at the Université Lumière in Bujumbura and founded the non-governmental organization (NGO) Psychologues Sans Frontières Burundi (PSF). He emphasized the need to promote international exchanges and academic collaborations, in order to strengthen the development of culturally appropriate interventions in Burundi and the Great Lakes Region. Since 2011 he has collaborated with Jun.-Prof. Dr. Anselm Crombach in implementing various scientific and humanitarian projects. Since 2014 the two have recruited the first graduates of his “Clinical Psychology” study program to strengthen PSF's capacity and train a new generation of psychologists in Burundi.

The NGO PSF works under Ministerial Order N0530/235 of 03/03/2011 in Burundi. PSF was founded in 2011 with the aim of strengthening the development of psychological and psychotherapeutic skills and local care in Burundi. The focus is on promoting international exchanges and academic collaborations, in order to strengthen the development of culturally appropriate interventions in Burundi and the Great Lakes Region. Since 2011, PSF has been collaborating reliably with various national and international organizations, including the Stamm Foundation, United for Children Burundi bw'Uno Musi (UCBUM) and vivo international (www.vivo.org). PSF also works closely with national and international universities, including Université Lumière de Bujumbura, University of Konstanz and Saarland University. 

Aiming to preserve his vision and continue the various projects for vulnerable populations, we intend to finance a coordinator position for PSF with this fundraising in memory of the late Prof. Dr. Manassé Bambonyé. Additional funds will be used to reinforce projects for families affected by violence by providing a location for therapies. 

Burundi's population is severely affected by trauma-related mental illness due to war and violent conflict in the past, daily violence and poverty, and a high rate of child abuse. Nevertheless, access to psychotherapeutic interventions, which have proven effective and correspond to a high standard of quality, is almost non-existent. This puts PSF in a unique position. True to its vision, PSF offers training, implementation and supervision of deep psychotherapeutic interventions that are evidence-based. These interventions include Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) for trauma-affected adults, children (KIDNET) and violent people (FORNET). In collaboration with academic partners, PSF has developed and evaluated approaches to reduce child maltreatment in families affected by violent conflict and in children's homes,  to prevent long-term mental illness. PSF has implemented projects to improve mental health and integration of children living in the streets or on landfills, sexually abused children, and teenage mothers.