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SPRING, 2002: Volume 7, Issue 1 AVP in Rwanda and Burundi
In September, AVP-Rwanda completed the first part of facilitating AVP on their own. Two facilitators from Uganda helped them with the initial eight workshops. With the assistance of the Drane Family Fund of the New Hampshire Foundation, AVP-Rwanda has begun a series of eight more workshops done without any outside assistance. They have assigned at least one female facilitator to each workshop, have completed one workshop for women only, and hope to do another with soldiers who have returned from the fighting in the Congo. Peter Yeomans of the original AVP-Rwanda Team will visit Rwanda in May and conduct a consultation with AVP-Rwanda facilitators. David Niyonzima, the General Secretary of Burundi Yearly Meeting of Friends, observed part of an AVP workshop in Rwanda and made the following comments: “While I was in Kigali, Rwanda, waiting for my USA visa to be processed, I participated in an AVP session organized by David Bucura. The participants were only women from different organizations and denominations around Kigali. It was so wonderful. The session I participated in was the short plays done by the 4 groups on issues about the Rwandan situation. As a therapist, I noticed that it has a lot of psychotherapy skills and listening that I am studying here [at George Fox University in Oregon]. The women enjoyed it very much and had a good time. Even though I was there for such a short time, I could see that they were being impacted by what they were learning. It indeed is a program that will promote healing for our people. I had never been in such a meeting before and I was glad to be part of it as an observer even for those 30 minutes.” Also with financial support from the Drane Family Fund and organization by the Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Service, AVP will be introduced into Burundi in April/May. Peter Yeomans and George Walumoli will be the international facilitators who will work with Carolyn Keys, an AVP facilitator. The Burundi Team will set up seven workshops over a five week period. Charles, Adrien, and Felicity will participate to become AVP facilitators. |
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