We are thrilled to announce a partnership between Seed Effect and Tutapona in Uganda!

Seed Effect and Tutapona parallel one another in many ways: both are approaching their 15 year anniversaries within the coming year, each were originally founded by husband-and-wife duos, but most importantly, both non-governmental organizations are Christ-centered and seek to empower the local people they serve to be the primary agents of change in their own lives.

Tutapona

“Tutapona!” means “We will be healed!” in the Swahili language, and it’s a phrase the organization has heard resonating through refugee camps and people’s lives over the past 15 years. Tutapona provides quality, group based, mental health programming to internally displaced people and people living as refugees in Uganda, Iraq, and most recently Ukraine to address the experiences they’ve been through and lead to emotional recovery and healing.

Since 2008, Tutapona, has served over 60,000 people through three different methods of programming: GROW (group programming), the Heroes Journey (child-focused arm of GROW program), and Healthy Habits (specifically focused on mental health and support to overcoming addiction). All of Tutapona’s programs are Christ-centered and based upon the therapeutic concept of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) while utilizing evidence-based practices including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy.

For tens of thousands of people around the world, their involvement with Tutapona’s programming has marked the beginning of a hope-filled future. Similarly to Seed Effect, however, the people Tutapona serves are so much more than mere numbers. They are mothers, brothers, fathers, and daughters. They are leaders, teachers, and parents. And above all, they are each created with inherent worth and dignity as image bearers of Jesus Christ.

Seed Effect

Seed Effect is bringing the hope of Jesus Christ and economic empowerment to hard places and underserved communities. Since launching in Uganda in 2017, Seed Effect has empowered over 70,550 South Sudanese refugees and Ugandans in over 2,600 Christ-centered savings and loan groups across seven locations to know Jesus, grow spiritually, and access the tools they need to provide for their families with dignity.

Areas of Operation

 Tutapona first began in 2008 to address the emotional effects of war and conflict in northern Uganda involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who were known for attacking civilians, physically mutilating, raping, pillaging, abducting young children, and leaving orphans and widows in their wake.

Today, over a decade later, Uganda is one of the top three refugee receiving nations in the world. We continue to work there, with an active registration from the Office of the Prime Minister to provide targeted, high quality mental health support to some of the 1.4 million people currently registered as refugees or seeking asylum.

As for Seed Effect, the hard places, specifically that of South Sudan (even before the initial peace agreement was signed that officially recognized South Sudan as the youngest country in the world upon seceding from Sudan) has been the central focus of their growth strategy. In 2017, Seed Effect’s operations were forced to close in South Sudan and begin in Uganda because of the escalation of the civil war in the fledgling country coupled with the commitment to continue serving the South Sudanese people. As aforementioned, today, Seed Effect now serves South Sudanese refugees as well as the neighboring Ugandan host community that so too have been affected by conflict.

There are seven refugee settlements spread across northern Uganda, where the majority of this 1.4 million reside. As of January 2023 Seed Effect now serves in all seven of these settlements, and the neighboring host community villages, making the people Seed Effect seeks to serve synonymous with the people Tutapona seeks to serve.

Data Driven Organizations/Mechanics of Partnership

 What’s more? The two NGOs are dedicated to data driven results, meaning that they collect data, analyze impact, perform control studies, and synthesize this information to ensure that their work is having meaningful impact in the lives of those they serve.

Seed Effect x Tutapona will serve as another control study to determine how livelihood measures are impacted when individuals receive both access to Christ-centered economic empowerment as well as Christ-centered mental health counseling as compared to those who only receive one or the other.

The partnership is currently serving existing Seed Effect members at their Adjumani Branch and Headquarters location with Tutapona’s GROW program.

By partnering with Tutapona and combining our resources, we can each remain focused on our core programs, and yet, bring further transformation, empowerment, and restoration to those we serve. Chaundra Eagar, Tutapona’s Director of Communications, put it best,

“When we work together, everything works better. Nothing is siloed. Getting to work together and share our knowledge will transform whole communities in a way we couldn’t by ourselves. Not only are we improving livelihoods and empowering people to take control of their own lives (that is happening from a mental health and economic perspective), but we are also fostering authentic hope for the future and restored relationships.”