History

Trauma Rescue Aid (TRAID) was founded in 2023 by Kizito Kuku, university student from Nuba Mountain, Sudan, studying at Cavendish University in Uganda. The initiative emerged in response to the devastating conflict that erupted in Sudan on April 15, 2023, which forced countless families, including women and children, to flee to neighboring countries such as Uganda, South Sudan, and Chad in search of safety and refuge.

At the time, Kizito was doing his internship with the Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR), an organization dedicated to monitoring, documenting, and reporting human rights violations. As part of DNHR work, the monitoring team conduct daily interviews with victims and survivors of sexual violence and torture who fled from Sudan. These interviews were emotionally intense, with victims often breaking down in tears as they explain their painful experiences. Even the DNHR team would sometimes cry alongside the survivors, However, DNHR’s mandate focused on documentation and advocacy for Justice and accountability, leaving survivors without the psychosocial support they so desperately needed.

Seeing this gap firsthand, Kizito felt compelled to act. He realized that these survivors, newly displaced and struggling to adapt to life in Kampala, needed more than just their stories recorded. Many did not speak English, only Arabic, making it even harder for them to access services or integrate into their new environment. They needed trauma counseling, emotional support, and a chance to rebuild their lives.

Kizito shared his vision with his close friends Kafi Abdelkhier and Barona Jagod. Together, they began mobilizing resources and conducting home-to-home visits to the Sudanese refugee families. They provided counseling and distributed some small food packages.

In 2024, We secured formal registration as a legal entity with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), reinforcing our commitment to creating impactful, community driven programs. The organization currently operates in refugee-hosting Community in Mukono District and we have launched programs that offer psychosocial support and English classes for adult refugees women and teenagers we also conduct family reconciliation initiatives. We have established a center as safe space in Mukono where our counselor conduct regular counseling sessions and English classes for refugee women and girls, they come together and share their stories and learn from each other.

From its humble beginnings to becoming a registered nonprofit Organization, TRAID’s story is one of compassion, resilience, and the power of community. What started as an urgent response to an immediate need has grown into a hope for hundreds of displaced families. Today, TRAID stands as a testament to the strength of survivors and the belief that, with support and solidarity, recovery, reconciliation, and rebuilding are always possible one step at a time.