Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc.

Kaangayan, Kalambuan, Kalinaw ... sa Mindanaw, sa Pilipinas, sa Kalibutan

Reclaiming Peace Within: A Basic Training on Community-based Trauma Healing
By Charmaine Dagapioso-Baconga / Posted 21 September 2008

	Barangay Lapayan at the height of the war, on August 18. Photo: Bobby Timonera

“Pamatia kung unsa nga parte sa imong lawas ang sakit?” This is one of the basic questions asked of people who have experienced violence in helping them regain their confidence and their worth despite the pain and what violence has inflicted on them. This is also one of the questions asked when you are being taught how to be aware of your bodily responses to negative experiences. If the question is answered, then the healing begins.

Thirty-two warm bodies gathered together at the Balay Mindanaw Peace Center in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City for a three-day session on “Reclaiming Peace Within: A Basic Training on Community-based Trauma Healing” held last September 3 to 5, 2008. The main objective of the activity was to orient and equip peace practitioners with knowledge in debriefing and the trauma process for actual community-based trauma healing sessions in communities afflicted by the recent violence in Lanao del Norte through the approach on Self-Awareness. The session was a response of Balay Mindanaw through the International Center of Peace in Mindanaw, together with other organizations who felt the need of the communities who have been traumatized by the war.

The first day was a filled with sharing on “what is trauma healing?” and sharing of different trauma and healing experiences. The participants also discussed the first basic approach in visiting Barangay Lapayan, Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. The participants were to focus on two categories -- adults and children.

The second day was reality day, going to Barangay Lapayan, in a session at the multi-purpose hall. Residents welcomed the participants and the psychology students from MSU-IIT and other volunteers. A total of 145 children came, along with many adults.

Lapayan was the hardest hit barangay in Kauswagan when the Moro rebels attacked Lanao del Norte last August 18, 2008.

The MSU-IIT students began with their profiling activity, while the training participants slowly engaged into conversations with residents. Children from varying ages were delighted to participate in the games with their “Ates” and “Kuyas” as their playmates. The games proved to be helpful in building rapport, soliciting trust and in bringing a sense of normalcy in the community.

The peace practitioners assigned to different age clusters gathered the children in comfortable places within the venue for their trauma healing session. The kids were separated by groups -- for those aged 8 to 10, 11 to 14, and 15 above.

Bakwits from Kauswagan go to Buruun in Iligan City.

Residents, both adults and children, shared their horrible experiences. Some said rebels pointed their guns towards them, of witnessing the elderly being hacked, of carrying bodies of immediate family members, of houses being burned, of fleeing to different places seeking safety without food, and being taken as hostages. Seeing the faces of children and mothers and fathers who are still uncertain of their future is heartbreaking.

All the participants heard the experiences of war victims first-hand.

The presence of everyone on that day, however, somehow provided hope and positive energy that someday, life may be better when healing begins. This was what the participants provided on that day, to adults and children, a very short yet sincere sharing about people’s grief and pain during a war.

After the trauma healing session, community lunch was served. At this time, there was a noted increase in the number of children present. An informal program followed the community lunch, which provided an opportunity for organizers to express their gratitude and noble intention to the Lapayan community. Participants left the hall with a humbling experience of being instruments for community healing.

As the experiences were wrapped up, and as the participants were properly taught further on self-awareness, the group planned the next steps. The participants decided to be part of a resource pool in providing warm bodies to help facilitate trauma healing in communities affected. They decided they need to be always ready, too, so they can respond to whatever incidents that may come. A specific target is a follow up on Barangay Lapayan, which is being led by the MSU-IIT students. The same training is to be conducted to Moro volunteers, a toolkit on trauma healing be produced, the merger of trauma healing and relief actions, to present to the LGUs the importance of Integration of Emotional Recovery/Trauma Healing with the Disaster Coordination and Management efforts of the government and calling for more volunteers.

The participants were from organizations based in Lanao del Norte like PAILIG Foundation, Inc., Ecoweb, GUPS, MSU-IIT, MSU Marawi Peace Center, Community Volunteers, Op Kors graduates, and Mindanao Tripartite Youth Core of the Bishops Ulama Conference (MTYC-BUC). The resource persons of the said training were Saturnina “Bebot” Rodil of the Institute of Peace and Development in Mindanao, MSU-IIT; Victor Peñaranda of the Theosophical Society of the Philippines; Tina Lomoljo of Birthdev, Lanao del Norte; and Roberto Quijano of the PAILIG Foundation, Inc.

Lastly, as Balay Mindanaw continues to pursue building peace in Mindanao together with communities, it is constantly faced with the realities of addressing the “persons” who are in the communities. As the common call is “Let peace work in Mindanao,” there is also an inner call among people who have been haunted by their violent experiences, and that is “reclaiming peace within” as we also “reclaim peace in Mindanao.”