Tag Archives: Rwanda

September 2, 2011 · 1:30 pm

Trauma Recovery Work in the DRC and Rwanda


Location map of Rwanda

Image via Wikipedia

It is official. Diane Langberg and I have our tickets for our upcoming trip to the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda where we will be interacting with trauma victims, pastors (who are also trauma victims), Bible Society and World Vision workers, and probably medical and education officials as well.

We leave on October 10 and arrive in Uganda on the 11th. We will be traveling into the DRC in the northeast quadrant (picture tiny plane!) near Bunia and also to Goma, on the shores of Lake Kivu and under the shadow of a large and active volcano. There we will be observing the work of the American Bible Society and She’s My Sister as well as meeting with rape and trauma survivors.

On the 17th, Lord willing, we’ll drive from Goma into Rwanda to Kigali. There we will be joined by colleague Carol King (Langberg & Associates therapist) and Josh Straub of the AACC and our Rwandan compatriots Josephine (WV) and Baraka (IJM) and will lead a  three-day training seminar re: trauma recovery resources and best practices. The plan is to return home via Kenyatta airport and Brussels on the 22nd.

Prepping for the trip includes everything from shots to planning who does what training segments. Those of you inclined to do so, pray for the logistics there as World Vision Rwanda puts the final touches on the location of training and invitees. A lot of work must happen for this to go smoothly. Also, there is an effort to raise funds for this (Project Tuza) at the AACC World Conference in Nashville the last week of September. Pray that attendees will catch a vision and support us as they can.

Anyone wishing to donate can here.

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Filed under Congo, counseling, counseling science, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Rwanda, trauma, Uncategorized

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January 5, 2010 · 5:03 am

Standing with Rwanda


For those interested in pictures (from the Rwanda Embassy in DC) and formal information about what the AACC, Dr. Diane Langberg, and others including myself are planning on doing in Rwanda, click the following: MOU AACC alert.

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December 15, 2009 · 11:27 am

Rwandan meetings


Spending today at the Rwandan Embassy in DC. Discussing best ways to memorialize without further traumatizing the population. Yesterday we spent a good portion of the day at the National Holocaust Museum. Believe it or not, it was a wonderful experience. I intend to blog about it in the coming days. But for now, back to our meetings.

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December 14, 2009 · 5:14 am

Rwanda meetings


This coming week I have the pleasure of meeting up with several folks interested in the next step in our Rwanda efforts. We will be meeting with Rwandan church and gov’t officials to discuss possible training efforts before next Memorial period. Along with meetings in the DC area, we will tour, together, the Holocaust museum. I understand this will include a behind the scenes interaction with curators, holocaust survivors and others. Cool!

Hopefully, we will come out of these meetings with a clear plan for our next, yet-to-be scheduled trip. I don’t know if I’m alone in this experience, but meetings seems to drag on when I would rather start doing something. I know, at one level, how important listening is. But brainstorming and planning are way more fun! I hope we’ll get to that!

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Filed under christian psychology, Historical events, Rwanda

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November 4, 2009 · 5:47 am

James Orbinski


Today I’ll be attending a couple of seminars by James Orbinski at Abington Hospital. Orbinski is the author of An Imperfect Offering which details his crisis medical work in Rwanda, Somalia, and other countries as a Doctors without Borders doc. He also has a DVD on the same topic called Triage.

What I’m most excited about is that I’ve been invited to his “Grand Rounds” seminar with the current family physician residents at AMH. That should be fun!

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September 30, 2009 · 5:27 am

Sebarenzi on reconciliation


Am just finishing up Joseph Sebarenzi’s God Sleeps in Rwanda: A Journey of Transformation (Atria Books, 2009). Joseph, A Tutsi, tells his story from childhood experiences of Hutu-Tutsi violence and state-sponsored discrimination to the 1994 massacre (he was out of the country then) and meteoric rise to power where he became the speaker of the parliament and then was pushed out by the Rwandan dictator.

I’m not sure if his story is accurate (about how Kagame tried to have him killed, but I found his views on reconciliation (and the lack thereof thus far) very helpful:

Ever since the genocide, I have asked myself how the nation could heal. How could we live together again in peace? …

Reconciliation brings enemies together to confront the painful and ugly past, and to collectively devise a bright future. It brings together communities in conflict to tell the truth about all past human rights violations and to create a society where they can live in peace with one another….

Reconciliation is in many ways the hardest option, because it requires effort, humility, and patience–whereas revenge is quick and easy. Reconciliation is complicated. it cannot be reduced to retributive justice…nor to forgiveness…. Reconciliation…includes several components: acknowledgment, apology, restorative justice, empathy, reparation, and forgiveness–and several accompanying measures, namely democracy coupled with consensus, peace education, and international assistance.   pp 214-215

The author goes on to describe what he means by each of these components (and some of the weaknesses in Rwanda). He subscribes to a rather Christian view of this process. It is not merely Hutu groveling to Tutsi but both listening to each other.

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September 15, 2009 · 5:19 am

AACC World Conference


the 2009 AACC World Conference begins tomorrow at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. On Wednesday, I’ll be presenting a 3 hour pre-conference workshop with Dr. Diane Langberg where we explore the counselor’s role in addressing pastoral sexual abuse. The conference proper begins Wednesday night and runs to Saturday evening. During that time I’ll be attending various presentations, meeting with colleagues, attending a meeting about next steps in Rwanda and presenting my own hour long training (Friday afternoon) entitled, “Engaging Biblical Texts in Trauma Therapy”. Check out my articles, slides, etc. page for PPT slides.

If possible, I’ll blog a few extra entries to give you a flavor of what the conference is like. I’m hoping to be able to link you all to the special video to be shown regarding Rwanda and our “ask” card where we will be asking attendees to consider donating to the Rwanda project. I hear they are selling coffee there to benefit our work as well. Can’t wait to buy some more Rwandan coffee.

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August 18, 2009 · 7:35 am

Cultural sensitivity or watered down


Having been in meetings yesterday and today about our next steps regarding counseling training in Rwanda, I’m wrestling with the best way to address cultural differences in whatever training we do. And specifically I’m wrestling with a particular dilemma forming in my mind:

Teach what we know about counseling NOW but be unaware of subtle but important cultural differences vs. listen, learn, and teach LATER what we know (but in culturally relevent terms)

It is not the first time that I have been asked to do something sooner rather than later with these words. “Don’t worry about the cultural relevance. We’ll tell you when something doesn’t work or our students will do the application to their own situations. If you try to be culturally sensitive, it will end up being watered down. We want our students to get the best education, something that the US would recognize.”

Why do I struggle with this request? Well, in my head it sounds like, “hey, come bring your colonialistic methods of evangelism and we’ll handle it.” I struggle with it because I know American counseling culture has significant problems with it. And, I struggle with it because I know that some students (this is a universal truth!) are really good at critical thinking while others blindly ape what we say without much thought at all. AND YET, I know that waiting until I’m culturally aware enough to teach means I wouldn’t do so for a very long time.  

So, part of my struggle is not wanting to look like a culture boob by just assuming that what I teach US students is what Rwandans would need. I suspect the answer is (a) being courageous enough to risk looking like a fool, but (b) flexible enough to change on a dime when I am aware of a disconnect.

Hmmm. I may have a problem with both.

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July 19, 2009 · 5:05 pm

Rwanda Pictures


I have a large number of pictures from Rwanda but none had me in them. So, I’ve borrowed a few from Josh to prove I was actually there. Here’s two:

Our host’s retreat home

rwanda1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After church greetings

rwanda3

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July 17, 2009 · 5:47 am

Rwanda Day 8 (and 9)


Our final day in Rwanda! We fly out at 7:45 pm. This was a day packed right up to the last minute to get to the airport. Just like the Bishop to make sure we use every second! We had lunch with the Commission to prevent Genocide and the rector of KHI to present the beginnings of our proposal to them. We proposed a 3 pronged response to the needs we observed:

1. Information dispersal: (a) 1 page informational statements to educate adults and children about the symptoms of trauma, simple things to do if one witnesses another having a trauma reaction (grounding), and ways to remember the genocide without creating more trauma. This would be sponsored by the Commission; (b) basic workshops for psychiatric nurses, doctors, HIV workers, and pastors), (c) helping community care givers, and (d) developing better ways to run the memorial 100 days using their own new theme of Hope.
2. Support the sending of key Rwandans to the US to complete MA/PhD in Counseling so they can return as teachers
3. Developing a Masters degree counseling programfor KHI to run that is Christian based (at least a track of it would be.

Our proposal was met with enthusiasm!

We thought we were going to end the day with a bit of shopping. I got a bit of coffee and a few trinkets. However, on our way to the airport, we detoured to see the  Minister of Education. He had been unavailable earlier in the week and now wanted to meet us before we left. Though we should have been at the airport, we flew across the city to meet with him for 15 minutes. As an MD, he was able to give us some good guidance.

Got to the airport and through security (much laxer than the US). A large number came to see us off. Sadly, the Bishop was not allowed to get on the plane. Something wrong with his visa (he got back to the States where his family is staying til December two days later). Our plane left one hour late and very full of children (expats on the way to holiday in Europe). Going up the stairs to the plane I got what I hope not to be my last sniff of the cooking fires. After the doors closed the attendants went through the cabin spraying something to kill mosquitoes (repeated after our brief stop at Entebbe, Uganda). They said it wasn’t dangerous to us but I wonder just the same.

After a full day in Rwanda, we travelled to Belgium (10 hours), had a lay over of several hours (where I purchased some Belgian chocolate), and then another 8 hours to Newark. Sadly, I cannot sleep on planes so I enjoyed several “Bourne” movies. Our team was not able to sit together on the flight to the US and this was sad. As we got off the very full flight, we lost track of Leah. We went in the wrong customs line and she must have gotten through before us.

So, we end our trip with much to process, little time to do it, and no time to do it together. I have grown fond of my new acquaintances in Rwanda and teammates Leah and Josh. But, now it is time to sleep as 40 plus hours of being awake is taking its toll!

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