John and Milka Mbugua are missionaries from Kenya serving in their neighboring country, Tanzania, along with their two young daughters. John serves as an Affiliate Trainer in East Africa with Trauma Free World (www.traumafreeworld.org), equipping local men and women to embrace the principles of trauma-competent care and to become certified to teach others within their communities and organizations.

Trauma Free World’s mission is to provide trauma-informed care resources for “everyone, everywhere,” across the world and in as many heart languages as possible, with a vision of seeing healthier families, stronger teams, and more resilient communities worldwide. Trauma Competent Care is a training course designed to equip the adults working most closely with vulnerable children and youth.

John and Milka have over 17 years of missions experience in Tanzania, particularly in the areas of caring for orphaned and vulnerable children, discipleship, church planting, and education. God has blessed John and Milka with a big family as they served as caregivers in a children’s home for 17 years and became parents to a houseful of toddlers who, by God’s grace, are now all entering adulthood. John also served for many years as campus pastor at the children’s home and pastored a local church, while Milka served as a preschool and kindergarten teacher at a Christian school.

Their experience as caregivers for children “from hard places” led them to learn about trauma and its impact on child development. This gave them a passion to share this knowledge with caregivers, teachers, parents, and others in care positions so that they can help children and youth to heal, grow, and develop strength-based life stories.

John and Milka are full-time missionaries in Tanzania whose service is made possible by faith and through the support of individuals and churches who desire to see more trauma-informed adults caring for children and youth across East Africa.

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.'” Matthew 25:40