AFRICAN VOICES ANNIVERSARY

Helene Batemona-Abeke (Kenya/ Germany) (KE/ DE)

Helene Batemona-Abeke is a social worker, certified diversity trainer, counsellor for psycho-traumatology. Residing in Cologne, the 48 year old grew up in Kenya and in the Democratic Republic of Kongo. In the midst 90s she came to Germany. Through the then newly founded initiative “Kein-Mensch-ist-Illegal” and the Allerweltshaus Köln she became politically active while studying for the second time. Her focus since then is creating awareness and psychosocial support for professionals working with those affected by Trauma Empowerment as well as intercultural competence.

In context Trainings, she conducts Trainings in different fields for example diversity, anti-discrimination and empowerment, as well as “living with experiences of flight and trauma”. Frau Batemona-Abeke also has many years of experiences in psychosocial counselling and initiating self-help women groups for women with experiences of violence and war.

The Justizakademie NRW, the organisation medica mondiale e.V., and the city of Cologne are counted among her clients for Diversity trainings and courses about the topic stress- and trauma sensitivity beside others. Internationally she has been working lately with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Turkey, Marocco, and at the Syrian border region with the focus on “Mental Health and Psychosocial Supportf people affected by war.or ”.

Beside her work-related activities Frau Batemona-Abeke is the spokeswoman of the Forum Kölner Forum gegen Rassismus und Diskriminierung, head of the Programm AKWAABA Festival, a festival organised by the Association Bündnis14 Afrika e.V, an Association representing Africans in cologne.
In the field of health care she is active for the Afrikanisches Gesundheits- und HIV Netzwerk in Deutschland (AGHNID).

Helene Batemona-Abeke (Kenya/ Germany) at CROSSING BORDERS