Resilience Through Adversity: Peacebuilding with St. Jude's Girls

Twenty-five residents of the St. Jude's Home for Girls had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of painting with a President on January 23, when Her Excellency, President Christine Kangaloo O.R.T.T, participated in an art therapy session as part of the UN in T&T's "Choose Peace" programme.

Each participant painted a butterfly, an enduring symbol of transformation, rebirth and hope.

President Kangaloo and Minister of Gender and Child Affairs, the Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy, were invited to paint with the girls to witness the impact of this 6-month mental health and psycho-social support project.

Funding of US $50,000 came from the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention. UNDP Trinidad and Tobago oversees rollout of the project, which began in September 2023, alongside the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator, Gender and Child Affairs and the St. Jude's Home for Girls.

This UN initiative uses art, sport and psycho-social workshops to cultivate self-esteem, resilience, self-discovery and positive methods of self-expression among the girls. Staff at St. Jude's are also being trained in psychological education.

La Toya Harris Tracey is the lead mental health consultant who coordinates the psychosocial components of the project. Individual psycho-social assessments help to tailor the programme curriculum to the needs of the participants.

The talented team at Chosen Hands TT leads the art and wellness segment of the project, while our partners at the Ryu Dan Empowerment Foundation expose the girls to sport, including golf and martial arts.

During her remarks, UN Resident Coordinator, Joanna Kazana, said,

"Peace, like conflict, starts and ends in our hearts and in our minds. Peace starts in our language and in our everyday conscious or unconscious choice of who we are and what kind of role we want to play in this world. St. Jude's Home for Girls and the participants in this project have now become important actors in the peacebuilding process locally, nationally and globally."

UNDP Resident Representative, Ugo Blanco, expressed his gratitude to the partner NGOs that worked with the girls, saying,

"I want to thank you for pushing not only the professional aspects of this project but also the personal growth that will have a long term impact. UNDP has been pushing for peacebuilding for years, and we feel this is a project where everything aligns."

"Choose Peace" pursues progress on Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Upon completion of the programme in March, the UN team plans to develop an aftercare curriculum that can sustain the benefits of the Choose Peace experience at St. Jude's. The programme also has the potential to be rolled out to other residential care facilities.