Access Bank Rwanda, in collaboration with Lanre Olusola, a behavioural change coach, on Tuesday March 8 organised a special healing clinic in Kigali, targeting only women.

The emotional healing sanatorium (a process to heal from past emotional trauma, hurts and pain), was organised as part of the celebration of International Women’s Day.

According to the bank’s officials, such sessions reaffirms the Pan-African lender’s commitment to inspire, connect and empower African women.

Opening the session, Prossie Kalisa, Executive Director, Retail and Digital Banking at Access Bank Rwanda said that the initiative was designed to help women resolve and heal from some of several past emotional trauma and pain enabling them to lead a more fulfilling life.

Lanre Olusola, a behavioural change coach during his presentation during  an emotional healing sanatorium conducted by Access Bank Rwanda on March 8, 2022

"Our support for women encompasses their different life stages taking into cognizance their unique needs as well as creating specialized financial and non-financial products to meet those needs,” Kalisa said.

Through this initiative, Access Bank Rwanda caters for women's financial and lifestyle needs across three key segments such as women in the workplace, women and family, and women in business.

The session targeted women employees of the bank and the bank’s female clients.

Participants during an emotional healing sanatorium conducted by Access Bank Rwanda on March 8, 2022. Dan Nsengiyumva

Olusola, a renowned mind, emotions and behavioural change coach told participants that women sacrifice a lot in their daily lives, especially in the home that they often forget about themselves at the expense of others.

That is why it is so important that women often give themselves a "me” time, self-love and spread love, said Olusola, who is popularly known as The Catalyst.

He added women have been suppressed, oppressed and they go through a lot emotionally, psychologically, traditionally hence need to find their voices and 50 per cent of healing happens when they talk and express their feelings and emotions.

"If you touch a woman’s life, you have touched billions of lives including their children, husband, family and relatives. Women keep and give value to the people around them, that is why they need to be supported in all ways because if they become everything they were created to be, the world will evolve better,” Olusola said

According to Caroline Umuhire, a participants, this was a great platform, adding that she could not wait to share the experience with fellow women.

"I was able to be in touch with myself and with my emotions and also knowing that we are carrying a certain responsibility to share back because when you are healing as a woman, it is the entire community that is healing including family members, friends and other people that are connected to you.  Spending two hours of healing on International Women’s Day feels really special,” she said

A beneficiary of the workshop asks some clarifications during a session

Veronique Makuza, another participant said that the emotional healing clinic is acceptance, specifically emotional acceptance and the awareness of one’s emotional state and intrusive thoughts is the beginning of the healing process.

"I believe we have to get more confident and assertive within ourselves first. What have been proved is that getting a greater awareness of our authentic identity, what might be holding us back from fully living it and acquiring the tools to release it to start afresh is the right beginning,” she said

According to The Catalyst, they hope to establish a coaching therapy practice in Rwanda early next month in collaboration with the University of Kigali, where they will be coaching and training therapists.

The session targeted women employees of the bank and the bank’s female clients. It was a special healing clinic in Kigali, targeting only women as part of the celebration of International Women’s Day.

Access Bank Rwanda in March 2015 launched the "W” initiative in furtherance of the bank’s commitment to harness the social and economic capabilities of women.

The initiative has since become home to everything Access Bank offers women and showcases a demonstration of our understanding of the unique needs of women.