Building Bridges: Community Based Sociotherapy reinforced unity and reconciliation

Community Based Sociotherapy (CBS) also known as Mvura Nkuvure is one of the approaches initiated in Rwanda that addresses psychosocial needs of the Rwandan population in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. CBS was developed in Rwanda from 2005 onwards and over time was also implemented in other conﬂict-affected settings, including North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Liberia, and more recently in Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The ongoing Community Based Societherapy Conference 2022 which will run until December 8 at Kigali Serena Hotel sheds light on the feats of CBS, among other things under the theme “Beyond Trauma: intergenerational healing and peacebuilding in the great lakes region”. The cross-cutting theme explores the linkage between mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and peacebuilding (PB). According to Lucie Nzaramba, Executive Director of CBS Rwanda, the Mvura Nkuvure program gave tremendous results over the last 17 years, given that there were many issues that hindered the unity and reconciliation of Rwandans. “By grouping different people in teams, we realised it is productive. After spending 15 weeks talking about their history and sharing the pain, their hearts freed heal and they build resilience. Instead of being held back by the past, they strive for their development,” she said. “We have also realized that the program helps in uniting people. The Genocide against the Tutsi claimed a million lives. It was hard and is still hard for someone to take a step and forgive those who killed their family members. But with good leadership of our country, those who passed in Mvura Nkuvure program managed to forgive and unite.” Nzaramba also mentioned that apart from that, the program has allowed Genocide survivors and perpetrators to visit and support each other again, embrace civic engagement, seeing themselves as Rwandans, adding that it helped in solving family conflicts that were connected with Rwanda’s past. So far, over 35,000 people have passed through the program which CBS Rwanda started from districts that were affected by the Genocide the most. Tackling the Community Based Sociatherapy conference, Nzaramba said they want to raise awareness by showing that when all healing and mental health initiatives are connected to peace building ones, the result is more compelling. “We’ve also learned that there is still intergenerational trauma from Genocide and is an issue hindering unity and reconciliation. |We want to discuss it and make decisions that help our youth understand history but also grow up with united for them to build a peaceful and fruitful Rwanda,” she said. Julienne Uwacu, the Executive Director in Charge of Community Resilience at the Ministry of Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) asserted that the government has embarked on solving issues around the effects of Genocide and mental health issues, declaring that Mvura Nkuvure program plays an important part. She noted that the program helps Genocide Survivors, their descendants as well as Genocide perpetrators and those who committed Genocide crimes and are either in prison or have finished their trials, to embrace that they are Rwandans, trust each other, work together and live together in harmony. Uwacu also commended the great work of CBS Rwanda and other organisations that employ Mvura Nkuvure for their contribution to building the country and urged them to keep pace. Rachel Nyirabazambanza is one of the beneficiaries of the program. She said she was lonely and couldn’t associate with others until 2011 when she joined and underwent 15 sessions with other people where she was able to speak out and share ideas. “During one of the sessions, we were told that we could forgive either those who ask for forgiveness or those who do not,” she said. “Among our group included Genocide survivors who would share with us how they were able to forgive perpetrators who killed their family members. At the end of the program, our wounds had healed.” Nyirabazambanza and 17 of her teammates are currently part of a cooperative that makes handicrafts (agaseke), where they earn money to support themselves and their families.

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Building Bridges: Community Based Sociotherapy reinforced unity and reconciliation