Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

WALKING TOGETHER
Healing and Hope for Colombian Refugees
A Resource for Canadian Churches that sponsor
Colombian Refugees

WALKING TOGETHER
Healing and Hope for Colombian Refugees
A Resource for Canadian Churches that sponsor
Colombian Refugees
Shalom Wiebe

WALKING TOGETHER: Healing and Hope for Colombian Refugees
Published jointly by Mennonite Central Committee Colombia and Coordinación Eclesial para la Acción Psicosocial.
Editors:
Bonnie Klassen, MCC Representative in Colombia
Jennifer Chappell Deckert, MSW, MCC Service Worker
Susanne Walker Wilson, MSW, MCC Service Worker
Paul Stucky, PhD., Director, CEAS
Carlos Lozano, Lawyer, Center for Transitional Justice, Colombia
Cellia Vasquez, Anthropologist, Member of Justice and Peace Committee, Teusaquillo Mennonite Church
Fanny Gomez, Member of CEAS Coordination Committee
Luis Correa, Member of Teusaquillo Mennonite Church
Sharlene Wiebe, Mother of the author
Elizabeth Miller, Historian, MCC Service Worker
Graphic Design by Rocio Neme Neiva
Cover photograph and other photography by Shalom Wiebe.
The individuals who appear in the photographs do not correspond to the Colombians who participated in interviews.
Special Thanks to:
The Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis and the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience Program at
Eastern Mennonite University for permitting the reproduction of some of their resources for use in this publication.
Jan Richardson for the use of her poem:
From Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas © Jan L. Richardson. janrichardson.com. Used
by permission of the author.
Roberto Carlos De Armas Dominguez for his cultural insights, support and encouragement.
© Shalom Wiebe, 2011
© Mennonite Central Committee Colombia, 2011
www.mcc.org
mccrep@colombia.mcc.org
© Coordinación Eclesial para la Acción Psicosocial, CEAS, 2011
A joint ministry of the Mennonite Brethren, Brethren in Christ,
and the Mennonite Church of Colombia.
ceascolombia@yahoo.es
C EAS
Copyright belongs to these three entities unless otherwise noted.
You are welcome to reprint material from Walking Together for educational purposes as long as you give credit to the
original authors, including the Center for Victims of Torture and the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience
Program.
Printed in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia, 2011
Editorial Codice Ltda.
ISBN: 978-958-98137-7-5

For the Colombian refugee families that arrive in Canada
bearing heavy burdens yet storing great hopes for the future
and for the Canadian churches that love them before they even meet them.
You have both inspired me more than I can ever say.
Shalom Wiebe

There are stories
embedded in our skin
and words enfleshed in us,
and so may you bless us
with those who by tender touch
release the tales,
trace the lines,
free the words
one by one.
Give to us those
who will listen us
into our own language
till we are hoarse with the telling
and with the laughter
at being released
from the silences we had kept
so long.
JAN RICHARDSON, “NIGHT VISIONS”

CONTENTS
FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................................................................................11
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................................................................12
CONTENTS AND METHOD .....................................................................................................................................................................13
A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................................................14
History and Context of Forced Displacement in Colombia ................................................................................................17
History .........................................................................................................................................................................................17
Causes of displacement .......................................................................................................................................................21
Characteristics of the Refugee Journey .....................................................................................................................................25
A traumatic journey ................................................................................................................................................................25
Identity changes: loss and reconstruction ......................................................................................................................27
Church and identity ................................................................................................................................................................29
Phases of adjustment ............................................................................................................................................................30
Understanding and Appreciating our Differences ..................................................................................................................33
Cultural competence..............................................................................................................................................................33
Intercultural communication ...............................................................................................................................................34
Conflict styles ............................................................................................................................................................................37
Cultural tips ................................................................................................................................................................................39
Cultural observations from Colombian refugees .........................................................................................................50
Using interpreters ....................................................................................................................................................................53
Promoting Restoration from Refugee Trauma .........................................................................................................................55
Understanding refugee trauma ..........................................................................................................................................55
Effects of refugee trauma on the individual ..................................................................................................................59
Flashbacks ..................................................................................................................................................................................63
Effects of refugee trauma on the family .........................................................................................................................64
Returning to “normal” after traumatic events ...............................................................................................................69
Talking about trauma..............................................................................................................................................................70
What survivors want to say to clergy ..............................................................................................................................75
Reconnection ............................................................................................................................................................................77
Planning and Organizing for Action .............................................................................................................................................85
Listening and accompaniment ...........................................................................................................................................86
Narratives - the healing story ..............................................................................................................................................87
Family strengthening ..............................................................................................................................................................89
Serving others - identity building & healing ...................................................................................................................90
Advocacy & peacebuilding ...................................................................................................................................................91
Staying healthy .........................................................................................................................................................................92
Helping the family feel at home ........................................................................................................................................95
Preparing the church community to welcome and befriend the refugee family ............................................97
MESSAGE FROM SHALOM ................................................................................................................................................................... 100
MESSAGE FROM THE JUSTICE AND PEACE COMMITTEE ......................................................................................................... 102
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 103
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 109

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Shalom Wiebe served with MCC in Colombia between 2007 and 2011 as a support
worker for people living under threat. She carried out this role through the Justice and
Peace Committee of the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in Bogotá, whose mission
it is to support people who have been displaced by the armed conflict and who
continue to live under threat to their lives by any of the armed groups operating
in Colombia. Shalom’s role with the Justice and Peace Committee involved being
present in interviews with threatened people, documenting cases of human rights
violations, guiding families through the process of applying for refuge in Canada as well
as providing emotional support for families while they waited for their applications to
be processed in the Canadian embassy. Shalom also served with the Coordinación
Eclesial para la Acción Psicosocial (Church Coordination for Psychosocial Action), a
ministry of the Colombian Anabaptist churches whose vision is to train and support
churches around Colombia to accompany victims in their communities. Having worked
with dozens of Colombian families that eventually arrived in Canada as refugees, many
of whom were sponsored through the MCC, Shalom compiled this resource material
as a way to support the MCC Canada Refugee Sponsorship Program and express her
thanks for the work of the congregations across Canada that have and continue to
receive Colombian refugees like the ones she worked with so closely for four years.
ABOUT THE EDITORS:
A number of Shalom’s colleagues from the Justice and Peace Committee, the
Coordinación Eclesial para la Acción Psicosical and MCC Colombia served as editors.
Their professional experience in psychology, social work, anthropology, history, law,
and pastoral care and their backgrounds as both Colombians and North Americans
were invaluable assets in helping this material take shape.

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FOREWORD
Ed Wiebe, MCC Canada Refugee Program Director
Over the past decade or more MCC, through it’s various parts and partners, has been successful in the
area of refugee protection and resettlement in the Colombian context. As an organization, MCC is now
planning programs more strategically, intersecting and interacting with each other. Our collective work is
evermore in partnership and community.
This resource, which is specifically focused to help groups in Canada better serve refugee newcomers,
allowing newcomers to be better understood and welcomed in their newly adopted homeland of
Canada, is a good example of how the many strengths inherent in the support communities who
accompany displaced Colombians can work together toward more successful outcomes for those who
have been displaced.
It starts with a local church in Colombia such as Teusaquillo Mennonite and the programs that other
local churches and organization there support and run, including entities such as the Justice and Peace
Committee and Justapaz and the wider peace, justice and rights organizations that MCC Colombia works
with. It continues with the MCC Canada Refugee Program which links the local groups in Colombia to
the sponsoring churches in Canada through the local Provincial MCC offices. Networked across Colombia
and Canada, these church organizations and individuals all work together to protect those displaced by
the on-going armed conflict in Colombia.
Every year the Justice and Peace Committee in Bogota works with dozens of seriously affected displaced
families, providing safety and serving their immediate needs. If it is impossible to keep them safe, the
families are documented for interviews with the Canadian embassy through the sponsorship mechanism
of MCC Canada and its constituent churches, who actually sign the papers. So the linkage extends
from local church in Colombia, through various organizational links, through the government hoops,
with the final link being a local church in Canada. Every year about a dozen families arrive to safety in
Canada through this avenue, while a larger number are afforded appropriate local solutions in Colombia,
without needing to leave the country. The following pages of this resource are rich with the experience
all parties have gleaned along the way and are intended to aid new groups who are embarking on
sponsorship. This entails signing on as the primary support group for a particular newcomer family from
Colombia. While this manual is country-specific, there is also much that can be learned and used in the
broader context of trauma healing borne out of conflict situations. I congratulate all who have contributed
time, energy and expertise to this project, your efforts together enrich and extend what might have been
done individually.

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INTRODUCTION
This material was put together in the spirit of supporting the wonderful work of the many Canadian
congregations and groups that sponsor Colombian refugees through Mennonite Central Committee
Canada. Over the years Mennonite congregations in Canada have opened their doors and hearts to
hundreds of Colombian refugees, following Jesus’ call in Matthew 25 to “welcome the stranger, feed the
hungry and clothe the naked.”
Each Colombian refugee that has been or will be welcomed to Canada through an MCC sponsorship
brings with them the heavy burden of the traumas that they survived during their flight to safety. When
they arrive in Canada they are confronted with the shock of a new language and foreign culture. Knowing
that they are wanted, loved and accepted by a faith community is a source of strength and a foundation
that often makes all the difference in how the refugee family will adjust and move ahead with their life
in Canada. The role that Canadian congregations and groups play in the lives of the refugee families they
sponsor can not be underestimated.
The serious yet often hidden effects of refugee trauma can influence how refugees adapt and react to
new situations as well as how they relate with their sponsors. Added to that is the confusion that can
arise when people from two different cultures communicate and negotiate life together. All of these
dynamics can add complexities and challenges to the sponsorship experience, both for the church and
for the refugee.
This is by no means a “manual” for understanding Colombian refugees; such a manual would be as
implausible as a manual written to explain all Canadians that travel abroad. Instead, this material was
compiled with hopes that it could serve as a resource for churches that sponsor Colombian refugees,
providing some insight to the factors leading to forced displacement, the traumas that Colombian refugee
families may have experienced, some observations about differences between Colombian and Canadian
culture as well as some ideas for walking together with refugee families in their path towards healing
and hope.

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CONTENTS AND METHOD
This resource contains five chapters. The first chapter, History and Context of Forced Displacement in
Colombia, is intended to help churches better understand the history and context of the armed conflict
in Colombia and the factors that continue to cause displacement and threat for Colombians.
The second chapter, Characteristics of the Refugee Journey, looks at the range of traumatic experiences
that refugees often endure before, during, and after flight as well as the changes in identity that accompany
each stage. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the phases of adjustment that refugees go through
upon arriving in Canada and the role that the church can play in helping the refugee family pass through
those phases and build a positive new identity in Canada.
The third chapter, Understanding our Differences, focuses on building cross-cultural understanding
between Canadians and Colombians. It contains sections on the importance of building cross-cultural
competence, Colombian cultural tips, and observations from Colombian refugees in Canada. The chapter
concludes with a section on using interpreters.
The fourth chapter, Promoting Restoration from Refugee Trauma, is intended to help churches
understand the normal effects, reactions and concerns for survivors of trauma related to war and human
rights violations. Effects of trauma on the individual and the family, useful trauma recovery strategies and
tips on talking to survivors of trauma are addressed.
The fifth chapter, Planning and Organizing for Action, is intended to help churches plan accompaniment
strategies for their sponsored Colombian refugee family. The topics of listening and accompaniment,
narratives - the healing story, family strengthening, serving others - identity building and healing, advocacy
and peacebuilding, staying healthy, helping the family feel at home, and preparing church community to
welcome and befriend refugee family are addressed with guiding questions, suggestions and ideas for
the church to consider.
Vignettes and quotes from both displaced Colombians still living in Colombia as well as Colombian refugees
living in Canada can be found throughout the text. These vignettes and quotes were obtained in two
manners. The quotes from displaced Colombians were obtained through the Justice and Peace Committee
of the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in Bogotá, during weekly support-group sessions for displaced people
led by Paul Stucky. The quotes from Colombian refugees were obtained through a series of phone interviews
with 13 refugee families living in Canada. These interviews were conducted by Shalom Wiebe, who through
her work with the Justice and Peace Committee at the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church had accompanied
each of the families through the process of applying for refuge in Canada. Nine of the Colombian refugees
interviewed were sponsored by Mennonite churches in Canada while four were sponsored by the Canadian
government. The refugees interviewed lived in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario
and Quebec at the time they were interviewed. The interviewees participated in the phone interviews
voluntarily and with full knowledge and consent that their words would be used for this guide. All names,
both of Colombian refugees and internally displaced persons, have been changed.

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A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY
Throughout this resource material the term refugee is used. It is important to consider the implications
of the use of words such as refugee, immigrant or foreigner. These words denote someone who does
not belong, someone from elsewhere, someone who is not “one of us,” the “other.” When a Colombian
family comes to Canada through the Canadian Government’s Humanitarian Protection Program, they
may or may not be refugees as defined by the Geneva Convention. Those that come through the
Source Country Program, directly from Colombia to Canada, are technically never refugees. Yet, they
come because they are fleeing in fear for their lives. Once they come to Canada, what category do they
belong to: refugees, immigrants, foreigners, citizens? How long do they belong in that category? The
technical answer is that they are immigrants that came through the refugee class, and they are now
permanent residents of Canada, and may apply for citizenship after three years in Canada. However, for
the purpose of this resource material, these questions are not about technicalities. Rather than worrying
about categories, it is useful to think about the effect that these terms can have on the newly arrived
families. While the term refugee conjures images of someone who has suffered poverty, homelessness,
starvation, years in refugee camps and so on (ironically, these images are, in fact, not applicable to all
refugees), the term immigrant denotes someone who is foreign or perhaps not yet fully Canadian, or
who is a different “class” of Canadian. For refugee and immigrant families, these terms carry connotations
that they would probably rather not be attached to, and that are in no way helpful for themselves nor the
greater Canadian society in achieving unity and mutual respect.
After careful thought and deliberations surrounding the use of terminology, we chose to continue with
the term refugee. However, congregations are encouraged to try and find creative alternatives to the
word refugee, such as “our new neighbours” or simply “new Canadians.” Doing so will help others to
see people that come to Canada through the refugee program not just as refugees but as community
members no different than themselves. It will also affirm to the families you sponsor that they belong in
their new Canadian community just as much as everyone else.

History and Context of Forced
Displacement in Colombia
Colombians come to Canada for a variety of reasons - some come for economic reasons, as workers
or professionals, others come as members of Canadian families, and others come seeking safety, as
refugees. Colombians that flee Colombia as refugees do so because they can no longer live safely in their
country. For a Colombian to receive refuge in Canada through the Canadian Government’s Humanitarian
Protection Program, he or she must prove that they were living under serious threat of death and could
no longer live in any part of Colombia.
The journey to Canada for most Colombian refugees begins with forced displacement from their original
homes, farms, towns or cities. Forced displacement usually involves loss of land, home, jobs, belongings,
educational pursuits, dreams, friends, community, social ties, and all sense of security. In order to better
understand the variety of factors that cause forced displacement in Colombia, it is helpful to understand
the history and context of the armed conflict in Colombia.
HISTORY
In the 200 years since Colombia became a Republic, the population has only enjoyed five years of
relative peace. 1 It is a society of victims and perpetrators, with a blurred distinction between one and the
other. The diverse forms of violence affect Colombian people as individuals, but also as a whole society;
millions of people are affected simultaneously by the same realities. In a society that suffers collective
traumatization, where everyone seems to carry too much fear and pain to live truly healthy lives, healing
will also need to unfold collectively.
Although the root causes of the Colombian conflict lie in the structures of exploitation and exclusion
generated after the Spanish invasion in the early 1500s, the current internal armed conflict started with
the unsatisfactory resolution of the civil war, called “La Violencia,” between Conservatives and Liberals
that tore the country apart between 1948 and the late 1950s. Insurgent or guerrilla groups formed
during the mid 1960s in response to the economic exclusion and political intolerance perpetrated
by the peace agreements signed by the Conservative and Liberal elites in 1957. Two main insurgent
groups, FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the ELN (National Liberation Army) gained
1. The History section has been adapted by Bonnie Klassen from her previous publication, Klassen, B., (2006) Opening Space for
Healing in Colombia, in Peacebuilding in Traumatized Societies, and the MCC Colombia Field Guide.

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extensive power and maintain significant territorial control even now, while several smaller groups started
and later demobilized or signed peace treaties.
Private security armies and paramilitary groups later formed as a reaction to the insecurity caused by the
insurgents. Many of these groups joined together in 1997 under the leadership of Carlos Castaño to
form a loose federation known as the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia - AUC.
The elite, with support from the state military forces and/or paramilitary groups, have consistently
suppressed and often eliminated political opposition forces. From the mid-1980s until the present,
approximately 4,000 political opposition leaders have been assassinated in addition to several thousand
assassinated community and labour union leaders. The largest group of assassinated leaders belonged
to the Patriotic Union, a political group that arose as a result of a peace treaty between the government
and one of the insurgent groups in the 1980s. The massive assassinations not only killed people but also
the insurgency’s trust in political solutions.
In 2005 the majority of the paramilitary groups belonging to the AUC demobilized, after secretive
negotiations with the Uribe government. Fifteen top commanders of the AUC were extradited to the United
States as drug traffickers. However, the Justice and Peace Law has not facilitated truth nor reparations for
victims of the AUC as promised. Instead, thousands of former AUC members have re-mobilized, using
the same structures, mode of operation and sources of financing as before. Moreover, with the absence
of their traditional leaders, the splintered neo-paramilitary groups battle with each other for the control
of resources and territory.
Over time all of the armed groups have turned increasingly towards using violence to maintain power
and gain control over economic resources (mainly minerals, oil and coca, used for cocaine), while the
civilian population has suffered. Nearly 5 million people have been forced to flee from their homes in
the last 20 years. Colombia has the second highest number of internally displaced people in the world,
after Sudan. 2 Tens of thousands of people have been assassinated, disappeared and arbitrarily detained.
Perhaps as many as 16,000 children and minors have entered into the ranks of the armed groups.
Many factors have shaped the foundations and the development of Colombia’s internal armed conflict.
Moreover, as happens in many protracted armed conflicts, the principle issues that sparked the war are
now intertwined with myriad other significant issues feeding the on-going confrontation. All of the armed
groups function out of a complex mix of motives: economic, political, social, cultural and military.
Socio-economic inequalities: The Comisión de Estudios sobre la Violencia (Commission of Studies
on Violence) concluded in 1987 that the violence in Colombia has more to do with the high percentage
2. In 2010, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre registered 4,915,579 internally displaced people in Colombia, a number
that puts Colombia at par with or even above Sudan in terms of displacement. For the most recent numbers, visit: www.internaldisplacement.org

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of people living in absolute poverty and the deep socio-economic inequalities than with the armed
groups themselves. Violence does not just come out of the barrel of a gun; it is also fuelled by the
suffering of those who live in miserable conditions. Desperate people use violence as a means to seek
change and the poor can view membership in an armed group as a source of employment or power.
At the same time, violence also aggravates the inequalities. Particular economic groups, drug cartels
and large land-owners created private armies in Colombia to protect their interests and to expand their
monopoly over economic resources. Several studies have shown the connection between AUC presence
and the concentration of property, drug trafficking and a consolidation of economic mega-projects
that violate the interests of the local population. The Consulting Office for Human Rights and Forced
Displacement – CODHES – estimates that the AUC and the drug cartels took approximately 5 million
hectares of land by force between 1997-2003.
Political Control: Alongside the economic interests that motivate the creation of private armies,
the dominant political leaders’ desire to maintain power and repress minority opposition groups has
strengthened these armed actors. Selective assassinations and disappearances committed by the
paramilitaries weaken alternative political groups and maintain the power imbalance weighted towards the
traditional political-economic elite, thus breaking down the public democratic process. During the second
semester of 2006 the Supreme Court of Justice began to process dozens of cases of congressional
members, government functionaries and regional politicians accused of maintaining alliances with the
AUC, thus highlighting a historic reality that the media suddenly scandalized as “para-politics.” In regions
where the insurgent groups have gained control, similar patterns arise. The FARC and the ELN use threats
and assassinations to maintain their influence over local and regional governments.
The Role of the State: Overall, the State has not maintained a permanent presence in much of
Colombia’s territory and therefore illegal armed groups (guerrilla and paramilitary groups) have filled
these gaps. In addition, with regards to the private armies propagated by powerful elite, the State has
often turned a blind eye rather than seeking to regain monopoly over the use of force. The state has not
functioned as an impartial entity protecting the common good, but rather has allowed certain groups to
use private armed actors to impose their interests. Moreover, human rights organizations have extensively
documented the collaboration between State Armed Forces and the private defence groups.
Psychological Factors – individual and collective trauma: Personal psychological elements have
also played a significant role in the growth of armed groups. The FARC initiated in response to the
Colombian State bombing of an “autonomous civilian commune” in 1964. Decades later FARC leaders
point back to the losses suffered then as the instigation for their war. The principle leaders of the AUC,
as well as many of their combatants, all suffered insurgent attacks on their family members. As the
different armed groups absorb this chosen trauma into their identity, they feel entitled, as victims, to
always act with reference to the initial violation against them. The desire for revenge and fear of future
attacks generates a psychological framework that supports systematic violence against a profoundly
“bad” enemy. In a context of around 98% impunity, the armed groups easily convince themselves that
they are acting in favour of justice by eliminating the other groups. This deep sense of “righteousness”

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has given armed group members from all sides the psychological strength to commit horrific attacks
against civilians accused (falsely) as supporters of the other group.
Additionally, centuries of violence in Colombia have produced a widespread acceptance of aggression
as a means to deal with conflict. Deep traumas stretch from one generation to the next because no
adequate process has helped people digest their pain. Repressed pain then expresses itself in a variety
of ways, including cycles of violence within the family and the community. Many youth join one of the
armed groups to escape violence at home and then paradoxically live out the violence they detest. These
dynamics fuel all of the armed groups.
Ideological factors and International influence: Colombia’s insurgent groups began during the Latin
American revolutionary era, on the tails of Fidel Castro’s triumph in Cuba. Ideological discourse against
injustice, oppression and imperialism frames the action of the guerrilla groups. In response, the ideologies
behind the National Security Doctrine of Colombian President Turbay (1978-1982) and the Democratic
Security policies promoted by President Uribe (2002 - 2010) have motivated the violence committed
by the paramilitaries in connection with the State Armed Forces. Politicians have injected fear in the
population and then justified exaggerated militarism and diverse mechanisms that infringe on human
rights as necessary strategies to ensure people’s safety. In addition, international players, particularly the
United States’ government, have fed the militarization of Colombian society by promoting military solutions
and providing massive amounts of weapons. 3
In the last two years, it has come to public light that the State Armed Forces have killed thousands of
civilians and then presented them as insurgents killed in combat, to inflate their statistics of success and
to obtain rewards from the government. An evaluation by the United Nations concluded that in some
sectors of the State Armed Forces, this has been a systematic practice. This horrific phenomenon has
been commonly referred to as “false positives.” 4 The State secret intelligence office has also been found
to have systematically carried out illegal phone and correspondence tapping of human rights defenders,
Judges, journalists, opposition party members, among others for many years.
Colombia is one of the countries in Latin America with the highest level of economic disparity between
the wealthy and the poor and has an ever-widening gap. It ranks 11th in the world in terms of levels of
inequality. These inequalities generate intense levels of social conflict, frustration and desperation within
Colombian society. On one level, severe economic disparities exist within all urban centres throughout
the country. Every city has extensive slum areas where people subsist in subhuman conditions - without
adequate health, education, safe water, roads or sanitary services. In addition, certain regions of the country,
particularly rural areas, have traditionally suffered from total abandonment by the state and thus have little
3. According to Just the Facts (justf.org), between 2000-2011, the U.S. sent nearly 6 billion USD of military aid to Colombia.
Colombia is the second country in the world in terms of receiving U.S. military aid.
4. A guerrilla that is killed in combat is called a “positive,” since it apparently shows the “positive progress” that the army is making
in the conflict against the guerrillas. Thus, a person who was killed and presented falsely as a guerrilla became known as a “false
positive.”

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or no infrastructure. This has meant that illegal armed groups (insurgents and paramilitaries) can easily take
over large territorial blocks.
Colombia’s legal economic activity revolves around petroleum, coal, coffee, tropical fruits, flowers, textiles
and leather, emeralds and sugar cane. Tragically, the monopoly of the Colombian elite over the country’s
wealth has led to the creation of a high level of parallel illegal economic activity, first in the emerald trade,
then marijuana and then, since the 1980s, cocaine and heroin. In the early 1990s, Colombia moved
from not only being the world’s biggest “processor” of coca-to-cocaine, to also becoming the biggest
“cultivator” of coca as this crop was pushed out of Bolivia and Peru by massive fumigation programs. The
coca production cycle has become concentrated in Colombia and now finances illegal activities within
many sectors of society, including all of the armed groups. Large scale money laundering mechanisms
exist as a result of the illegal activities. The demand for cocaine in other countries keeps the incentives
high for coca farmers who have no other viable agricultural options.
Since 1991, the Colombian government has opened up the Colombian economy to the international
trade market. Colombians now face the challenge of confronting economic globalization in a country with
inadequate infrastructure and few subsidies. In recent years, Colombia’s economic policies have essentially
followed the guidelines and demands from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Many
sectors of society fear that the Free Trade Agreements negotiated with the United States and Canada will
lead to greater difficulties for the Colombian economy. Free Trade with Canada could potentially exacerbate
a very difficult situation of human rights violations around the extractive industry in Colombia. 5
CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT
Displacement is never voluntary. The causes of forced displacement in Colombia vary, and each family’s
case is unique. Although diverse, the driving factors behind forced displacement can be grouped into
general categories. What follows are six leading causes of displacement in Colombia. 6
Paramilitary Violence: The activities of old and newly formed paramilitary groups is the leading cause
of displacement in Colombia. Paramilitaries use force, threats and violence to displace campesino
farmers from their land. The objective of paramilitary groups in Colombia is to gain political, military and
strategic domination of large pieces of territory for the benefit of powerful economic interests, almost
always associated with the cultivation of drugs, although also associated with monoculture of lucrative
crops such as African Palm. Paramilitaries are known to have relationships with State agents, to threaten
(and kill) social and political opposition leaders, and to impose hegemonic and arbitrary models of social,
institutional and political control.
5. Canadian companies control over 50% of extractive activity in Colombia.
6. This section is adapted from ¿Salto estratégico o salto al vacío? El desplazamiento forzado en los tiempos de la seguridad democrática.
Bulletin #76, January 2010, Bogotá. CODHES - Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento http://www.codhes.org
Sections on Displacement by Agents of the State and Megaprojects contributed by Carlos Lozano, a lawyer who works with the Centre
for Transitional Justice in Colombia and is member of the Justice and Peace Committee of the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church.

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Conflict between the national armed forces and
the guerrilla: Secondly, displacement takes place
in zones where there is active conflict over territory
between the national armed forces and guerrilla
forces. In the resulting conflict, the local population
is effectively trapped under the crossfire. In these
zones, the national army often fails to distinguish
between guerilla combatants and civil population, a
dire violation of international humanitarian law. As
the national army moves into a region to take military
control, civil society is often involuntarily brought into
the conflict, accused by the military of belonging to
the guerrilla or vice versa. Zones of conflict between
the army and the guerrilla are characterized by the
indiscriminate planting of land mines and massive
forced recruitment of children by the guerrilla as well
as regular military checkpoints and control over the
movement of food products by the national armed
forces. In areas with guerrilla presence, civilians are
often forced to pay informal “taxes,” to do errands such
as bringing supplies from town to a camp location, loan
personal belongings such as vehicles, or to provide
services or goods to the guerrilla. Cooperation may
temporarily allow civilians to continue to live in peace
in the region, however it also puts them in danger
as being seen and treated as “guerrillas” by the army
or the paramilitaries. Non-cooperation usually leads to
threats of death or forced recruitment of minors and
often families are forced to flee on short notice, leaving
homes, belongings, crops and animals behind.
Displacement by Agents of the State: In many
cases the state armed forces (the army and police)
are involved in displacing civilians. Abuses by state
forces may range from illegal occupation of private
land, schools and churches to cooperation with
paramilitary groups. Sexual violence against local
women perpetrated by state forces is another cause of
displacement. Social and community leaders that have
denounced the abuses of the state military in their
region may be forced to flee to protect themselves
from the repercussions. This situation is very serious
Internally displaced Colombians
share their experiences:
“Soldiers from the army would come
and say ‘charge up my cell phone’
and ‘sell me some food.’ And later
the guerrilla or paramilitaries would
come asking for the same thing.
Each one accused me of belonging to
the other. One looks at them not as
guerrillas or paramilitaries, but as
human beings. None of them wore a
name tag saying ‘I belong to...’ I was
caught in the middle of this conflict.
My God! If I’d known who was
who, I would have never sold them
anything.”
-Antonio
“What they say is true. We left
because the guerrillas were going to
take the boys. I have three...”
-Maria
“The paramilitaries cut apart one
of my family members and told us
not to report it, to act as though
nothing had happened. For three
years we saw them parading by...
Even though I knew they had an
office of lawyers in front of the
Prosecutor’s office, I went to report
what had happened to my family.
That’s when the problems started.”
-Eli

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for two reasons. For one, the state armed forces are deemed responsible in the Colombian constitution
to protect people’s lives, property and rights. This then means that Colombian citizens are victimized
by the same functionaries that should protect them. Secondly, the governmental system of attention
to victims does not recognize the victims of the actions of State forces if these actions are not proven
through a judicial process. Therefore, victims of the State are excluded from humanitarian assistance,
from participation in the Justice and Peace Law 7 and from the government’s administrative reparation
program. Victims of the state are deliberately and systematically excluded from any institutional offers of
attention to victims.
Urban Violence: Urban violence in Colombia’s cities causes both intraurban (from neighbourhood
to neighbourhood) and interurban (from city to city) displacement. The armed conflict, which was
once a primarily rural phenomenon taking place in the jungles and mountains, can now be found in
the cities. There is increased violence in Colombia’s larger cities, with new armed conflicts related to
drug trafficking, money laundering, social and political control, growth of militias and the rearming of
demobilized paramilitaries.
Aerial Fumigation: Another notable cause of displacement is that of arial fumigations and forced
eradication of illicit crops. Eradication operations are carried out by military and police forces, often with
backup from demobilized members of the illegal armed groups. The military operations that accompany
the fumigations generate risks for local civil society, who become the target for threats and, in some
“I was happy with my family, my work and my studies. I had a house and a home. Then the river parted
and the sadness began. Displacement, sadness, tears, impotence, nostalgia, loneliness. You wish you could
return to your land, but you know you can’t. I see that Jesus loves me a lot, and cling to the hope that he
has something good in store for me.”
- F r a n c i s c o
“The death of my father and my brother was a terrible blow
for me. The paramilitaries killed my father 15 days after
killing my brother. Everything was confusing, I didn’t know
where to go but we had to leave running. I wanted to stop,
but I couldn’t. Worse things happened every day. They tried
to rape my sisters. The danger continues, but God is with us.”
-Cristian
”You feel anger, fear, distrust,
the desire for vengeance,
resistance, sadness, a profound
rage, and disappointment.”
-Richard
“You sleep with one eye open.”
-Edwin
7. The Justice and Peace Law offers significantly reduced prison sentences in exchange for paramilitaries telling the truth. The
primary benefit gained by victims from this law is learning about what happened to their loved ones.

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cases, selective assassinations. Fumigations also have a detrimental effect on food security for local
communities; farmers witness to the destructive effect on their food crops. The campesinos that cultivate
illicit crops are the weakest link in the drug production chain. They may have been forced into the
cultivation of illicit crops by the illegal armed groups in their region or because the market for their food
crops does not provide sufficient income. Once their crops - both illicit and food - are eradicated they are
left with few options: join an illegal armed group, displace to the cities, look for refuge in neighbouring
countries, or cultivate coca or poppies in another location.
Megaprojects: In Colombia, displacement never happens by chance. In addition to the clear connection
between forced displacement and the control of land for military purposes, displacement is clearly connected
to the location of mining, hydroelectric and extensive agro-industry megaprojects. In many cases, the small
pieces of land that belonged to displaced people end up appropriated by the owners of large economic
initiatives, such as the cultivation of african palm for the production of biofuel. These cultivations use
enormous quantities of land and other natural resources. Indigenous people and Afro-Colombians, who,
under Colombian law have owner’s rights to their collective territories, have been especially affected by
forced displacement associated with economic megaprojects - their lands are particularly rich in natural
resources. These megaprojects are supported by the Colombian government because they are seen as
an opportunity to promote foreign investment. Judicial investigations suggest the existence of strong links
between economic megaprojects and the financing of paramilitary groups. In many cases the original owners
of the land are systematically displaced by paramilitary groups in order for megaprojects to move in.
COLOMBIAN HISTORY AND CONTEXT
For more information on the Colombian context and internal displacement, visit the following websites:
IDP Voices - visit the Colombia section to hear stories of internally displaced people and learn more about Colombia. An excellent PDF
book containing the stories of 19 internally displaced people from five different regions of Colombia can be downloaded from the site.
http://www.idpvoices.org/
Human Rights Watch provides up to date information on human rights and the armed conflict in Colombia:
http://www.hrw.org/americas/colombia
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre provides current statistics on global displacement trends. Look for the Colombia
under the “Countries” tab for detailed statistics, news articles and an Internal Displacement Profile on Colombia:
http://www.internal-displacement.org/
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - search for the Colombia profile. The site contains photo galleries and
audio-visual material: http://www.unhcr.org/
The Washington Office on Latin America provides information on human rights and social justice in Colombia:
www.wola.org

Characteristics
of the Refugee Journey
A TRAUMATIC JOURNEY
Because of the complexity of the Colombian
armed conflict, no two refugees share the
same story. Just as varied as the factors that
lead to their displacement are the traumatic
experiences that follow: death threats, attacks,
hunger, unemployment, fear, rejection by
society, uncertainty about the future.
Often if a Colombian officially files a case
in the judicial system to report a crime
committed against them or a family member,
the information is leaked to the very armed
actors that committed the crime and the
persecution of the victim intensifies. This leads
many Colombians to have great suspicion or
even fear of state figures of authority such as
police. Knowing who to trust is difficult and
stressful for refugees.
The journey for refugees from danger to
resettlement in Canada is perilous and
stressful. For the purpose of understanding
the different types of stresses refugees
encounter along the way, the journey can
be divided into three parts: pre-flight, flight
and post-flight. Refugees face difficult and
traumatic situations in each stage, including
the stage after arrival in Canada (post-flight).
”You leave your house, but you don’t
know if you will return.”
- Elena
“It’s an obsession that something is
going to happen to you, or that someone
is going to hurt you.”
- Marta
“You are in a tunnel, waiting and
hoping to see the light.”
- Oscar
“It’s not just the displacement, but
also the persecution, children who are
hungry and not being able to go out...
If you get caught up in it, you will lose
yourself in depression.”
- Edith
“Feelings of sadness, pain, the desire to
dig a hole in the ground and hide there.”
- Trina

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The Triple Trauma Paradigm, below, highlights some of the traumatic events encountered in each part of
the refugee journey.
THE TRIPLE-TRAUMA PARADIGM
Pre-Flight Flight Post-Flight
Harassment/intimidation/
threats
Fear of unexpected arrest
Loss of job/livelihood
Loss of home, land,
possessions, Loss of
employment, business
Disruption of studies,
life dreams
Repeated relocation
Living in hiding/underground
Societal chaos/breakdown
Prohibition of traditional
practices
Lack of medical care
Separation, isolation of family
Malnutrition
Need for secrecy, silence,
distrust
Brief arrests, kidnapping,
retention
Being followed or monitored
Imprisonment
Torture
Other forms of violence
Witnessing violence
Disappearances/Deaths
Fear of being caught or
returned
Extortion
Threat of forced recruitment
of children
Attempts against one’s life
Living in hiding/underground
Detention at checkpoints,
borders
Loss of home, land,
possessions
Loss of job/schooling
Illness
Robbery
Exploitation: bribes,
falsification
Physical assault, rape or injury
Witnessing violence
Lack of medical care
Separation, isolation of family
Malnutrition
Crowded, unsanitary
conditions
Continued threat
Looked upon with suspicion
by society
Government agencies little
help
Great uncertainty about
the future
Low social and economic
status
Lack of legal status
Language barriers
Transportation, service barriers
Loss of identity, roles
Bad news from home
Unmet expectations
Unemployment/
underemployment
Racial/ethnic discrimination
Inadequate, dangerous
housing
Repeated relocation/migration
Social and cultural isolation
Family separation/reunification
Unresolved losses/
disappearances
Unrealistic expectations from
home
Shock of new climate,
geography
Conflict: internal, marital,
community, generational
Symptoms often worsen
Triple Trauma Paradigm courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104, www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture

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IDENTITY CHANGES: LOSS AND RECONSTRUCTION
The refugee journey, from “life before the problems began” to forced displacement to seeking refuge and
finally settling abroad, is characterized by multiple identity changes, including loss of original identities and
creation of new identities. Undergoing these identity changes involves a stressful process of negotiation,
which can add to the trauma inherent in the refugee journey.
Identity before Displacement
“In my homeland I knew what to do.” - Leo
Before it all began, the persons who today are refugees in your congregation were “somebody.” Perhaps
they were farmers, perhaps doctors or nurses or teachers, perhaps businessmen or women, perhaps
human rights activists or community leaders or journalists. These were people who worked hard and
took pride in what they did; their lives had meaning and purpose. They were able to take care of their
family. These individuals felt a sense of belonging in their community and were respected by their
neighbours and friends. Most were likely economically stable. They were capable, felt at home in their
community, and had dreams and plans for their future and the future of their children. Family lineage
and history gave them a strong sense of roots in their community. All had a deep love for their country
and most had likely never left Colombia, nor did they dream of a future anywhere else then their home
community, surrounded by friends and family.
“It’s hard to leave your family, a family
that you’ve never left before. We’d
never left Colombia before, not even
for tourism. We had built our sociocultural
identity, an identity that we
had formed since we were born.
There are many things that you “throw
away” when you leave your country.
It was really complicated to leave the
country. The culture, the customs, the
social ambience - all of these aspects -
that is where you have your identity.
It’s a huge change. You arrive to a place
where no one knows you. You are of no
importance to anyone in the society.
You find yourself feeling like a feather
in the air.
We came from a region of Colombia where there is a real
family feel...The first thing you do when you leave your
house is to greet everyone. You know that the man that
lives next door is named Jesus, the man across the street is
Carlos. You know who the people are and you greet them.
You speak the same language, everyone understands you.
We arrived here and first of all we couldn’t communicate,
second of all you discover that the majority of the people
aren’t interested in communicating with their neighbour.
The culture is really different. We arrived to a country
that is rich in many senses - it’s rich with culture, there
are people from many parts of the world. The mix of
culture is beautiful, but you don’t know who is who. The
sense of community is lost. The values of solidarity and
neighbourliness are lost, you can’t find them that easily.
This makes the formation of identity in the Canadian
society difficult.”
- David

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Identity during Displacement:
“I did everything - I was a leader, but here I am nothing.” - Teresa
When families are forced to flee from their homes, leaving behind the life they had built for themselves,
they also leave behind much of their original identity. Upon arrival to Colombia’s cities, where they are
expected to register in the national registry of displaced people in order to receive meagre government
assistance, they are immediately and thereafter labeled as “displaced people.” No matter how hard
working, honest or professional they are, once they are displaced they are looked upon with suspicion
and disgust. Many are treated with contempt by disinterested government officials. Potential employers
will not hire them if their identity as displaced people becomes known. Potential landlords are reluctant
to rent to displaced families. Some families spend nights on the street or in bus stations seeking shelter.
They are now alone, possibly lost and confused in one of Colombia’s large cities, unemployed, and
unable to provide for their children.
Through all of this, their identity changes dramatically. No longer the providers or the respected community
members, they are now cast out, persons that are branded as “not from here,” “possibly dangerous” and
“unwanted.” The image that society projects onto displaced people slowly begins to enter their psyche.
Internally displaced Colombians share what has helped them to find new meaning
in life and reconstruct their identity within the church context in Colombia:
“There is refuge in the Word
and prayer...we can also find
peace when we help others.”
- Liliana
“Now I feel pride when I
bring food to the people
on the street, when I serve
them...what others did for me
before.”
- Nestor
“The church has been good
for me. Being part of God’s
family. Having someone to
listen to me.”
-Teresa
“Find a way to serve, to be in
action.”
- Rodrigo
“Opening myself up to new
horizons, finding a purpose.”
- Cecilia
“I feel strengthened listening
to others.”
- Gloria
“Feeling accepted.”
- Enrique
“Feeling like a woman that is
fighting for her rights.”
- Luz
“Know your story. I am
a leader. I believe in what
I did.”
- Karina
“Church is peace, justice and
service.”
- Elizabeth
“In the midst of my pain it is
good for me to be with you (the
church). Things get out of our
control, but not out of God’s
control.”
- Gustavo
“I was really discouraged
and undone, when a woman
invited me to church. I found
peace. I became human again.”
- Diego
“Getting involved in the church
gives us strength to move on.”
- Carolina

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Family and gender roles change. Often it is the women of the family that are able to find work, since the
rural skills many men have are not applicable to cities, and so the women become the breadwinners
of the families while the men suffer unemployment and plummeting self esteem, unable to provide for
their children and families.
Identity as a Refugee in Canada:
“It is like you are reborn, you have to start all over again.” - Mario
Once refugee families reach Canada, they undergo another identity change. In Canada, they become
visible ethnic minorities, they are labeled as “refugees,” “immigrants,” “newcomers” or even “foreigners.”
Their accent and difficulties speaking and understanding the new language gives them away as such.
If they were professional in their life before displacement, it is unlikely that they will be able to practice
their profession in Canada. They will enter the work force as blue collar workers, and may experience
demeaning treatment - or simply being ignored - in their workplace. Navigating their new city - not
just streets and bus routes, but also shopping, banking, health care and education systems - can be
overwhelming. Everything is foreign; the refugee is no longer in familiar territory and can feel impotent
and helpless. As refugee children’s language skills quickly overtake those of their parents, the children
in refugee families start to take on parenting roles - interpreting for their parents the new world around
them and even making decisions that would have previously fallen to the parents to make. This new
series of role-reversals and identity-shifts can be painful and confusing for refugee families and may be
one of the main reasons why many refugee families struggle to stay together once they begin their new
life in Canada.
CHURCH AND IDENTITY
“To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul” 8 - Simone Weil
“One’s roots are in Colombia, but without freedom we were becoming like a dry tree about to die, and in
Canada we hope to be fertilized, recuperate and give fruit.” - José
Refugees are uprooted people. In their process of establishing new roots in Canada, forming a new,
positive identity is crucially important. Identity is not formed in a vacuum but in the context of the new
community. The sponsoring church community is an invaluable asset for sponsored refugee families
in their process of forming new, healthy identities in Canada. What better place for a refugee family to
establish roots than in their new church community?
Far from the community they left behind, refugees are at risk of feeling unneeded, out of place and
unimportant in their new context. By finding ways that refugees can begin to participate, serve and
form friendships within the church community, the church can help refugees find new meaning and
a new sense of belonging. For persons who have survived years of being told they are useless and
8. Weil, S. (1952) The Need for Roots. London: Routledge

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unimportant to society, serving in the context of the
church community can be part of the healing path
towards discovering that they are indeed needed,
useful, important and loved. Discovering where the
refugee family would feel comfortable fitting in to
your church community, inviting them to do so and
accepting them as your new friends may be some
of the most healing forms of accompaniment that
the church can offer to the refugee family. Although
not all refugee families will choose to become an
active part of your church’s life, for many it may be
very life-giving.
PHASES OF ADJUSTMENT
As noted in the previous two sections in this chapter,
the refugee journey is characterized by three major
stages: pre flight, flight and post flight. The third stage,
that of “post flight,” occurs after arrival as refugees in
Canada. Although it may seem as though all should
be well for the refugee family now that they have
arrived to safety, in fact the process of adapting to life
in their new country is a challenging journey in itself.
This section will focus specifically on the process that
refugees go through as they adjust to life in Canada.
The Center for Victims of Torture has identified four
stages of refugee adjustment that occur over varying
amounts of time. 9 There is no set amount of time for
each phase. It is normal for newcomers to Canada
A refugee recalls the challenges
from her first few months in
Canada:
“Loneliness is something very
terrible here. We arrived at a
time of year when everyone was
on vacation and was busy with
their activities. At first we felt
afraid to leave our apartment,
and we spent two months without
venturing out on our own. When
we came here we didn’t know
there were so many rules - rules
about childcare; you can’t leave
children alone in the house. The
other thing is the language. The
language is necessary because
without it you can’t understand
anyone. I felt like... I don’t know...
I didn’t understand anyone, no one
understood me. Another problem
is being unoccupied, not being able
to study in the summer time. The
food is really different - I got sick,
it was as though everything made
me sick.”
- Dora
Note: Dora is now doing very well,
thanks to the accompaniment from
her sponsoring church.
to take several years or more to pass through these phases. The type of support that refugees need will
change over time, as they adjust to their new environment and deal with their losses.
Phase One is known as the Arrival or the Honeymoon Phase. This is a busy time of adjustment after
the refugee first arrives to their new community. It is characterized by relief mixed with hope and high
expectations. The refugee family will feel a sense of gratefulness for their newfound safety and for the
support of the church community. They will likely be excited to get to know Canadian friends and to
begin studying. These positive feelings characteristic of the honeymoon stage are often juxtaposed with
a mix of negative feelings. The differences in language, culture and layout of their new surroundings can
9. Evelyn C. Lennon, MSW, MA (2005) New Neighbors Hidden Scars, chapter 3 Healing the Hurt, Minneapolis, MN: The Centre
for Victims of Torture. www.ctv.org

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PHASES OF REFUGEE ADJUSTMENT
Phase 1 (Arrival)
SATISFACTION
Phase 2 (Reality)
Phase 3A (Negotiation)
Phase 3B (Alienation)
Phase 4A
(Integration)
Phase 4B
(Marginalization)
TIME IN COUNTRY
Phases of Refugee Adjustment chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul,
MN 55104, www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture
lead to feelings of confusion and disorientation. Feelings of numbness, anger, or even resentment can
also be present in this stage.
Phase Two generally occurs after three to six months and is called the Reality Phase. In this phase the
refugee comes down from the “high” of the honeymoon as they realize that their desire for a quick
adjustment has not been met. They become increasingly aware of the challenges that lie ahead and may
begin to feel overwhelmed. Culture shock begins to set in and the reality of their losses is recognized.
Conflicts may arise between generations in the family, with other refugee communities or between the
family and the host community. Memories of traumatic events may occur (see Flashbacks, p 63), and
with them a sense of fear may return. In this stage
refugees may experience difficulty concentrating
in English class, detachment, short-term memory
loss, fatigue or other physical symptoms such
as headaches or stomachaches. The supportive,
encouraging presence of the church in the lives of
the refugees is crucial at this point; it can make all
the difference in the path that the refugee family will
take in the next stages.
Phases Three and Four each have two optional
paths: one gradually leading to Integration and the
other leading toward Marginalization. Most refugees
that are sponsored by church communities are able
to follow the path to integration, over time navigating
their way to belonging in their new community.
“I want to emphasize the importance of the role of
churches in Canada. I remember one day I read
on a Canadian five dollar bill ‘The winters of my
childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three
places - the school, the church and the skating rink
- but our real life was on the skating rink.’ It seems
to me that this is a peaceful and humane country
because of the presence of the church in families.
Meeting with so many people at church, sharing
together in different ways and singing beautifully -
this brings us much life.”
- Jose

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Without the support of a loving and caring receiving community, refugees face more chances of failing
to adjust.
In Phase Three, Negotiation, the refugee begins to accept and understand what needs to be done in
order to succeed in their new life. The harsh realities that they confronted in the previous stage
are balanced out with small successes: increasing ability to communicate in English, making
friends, potentially holding their first job. In this stage refugees may begin to build community
support systems, getting to know others in their ethnic group. Healing from trauma is an important
characteristic of this stage. As life gradually begins to look up, they will feel a new sense of selfdetermination
and will take action to move ahead, setting realistic goals and defining their new identity.
As shown in the diagram, Phase Three can take two paths. The path of Alienation is avoidable and
undesirable, however the reality is that some refugees do end up on this path, especially those with no
support system, the elderly or homebound women. The Alienation stage is characterized by a continued
negative trend: conflicts, physical and mental health issues, despair and sadness, fear that they cannot
succeed in Canada, reluctancy to leave the home, isolation, withdrawal, and poor attendance at English
classes are some of the warning signs that a refugee may have entered the path of Alienation rather than
Negotiation.
Phase Four is Cultural Integration and is marked by a growing sense of mastery and comfort. This stage
follows the stage of Negotiation, and is characterized by a shift from feeling the need for English classes
to the desire to work and be self-sufficient or to pursue higher education. The refugee will be able to
take care of their own basic needs, and will feel a sense of pride in their self-sufficiency. They will feel self
confident, will be able to communicate competently and will have established community ties. Their new
bicultural identity will be forged and they will feel a sense of hope for a stable future and of belonging to
their new community and country.
The alternative to Cultural Integration, for refugees who find themselves on the path of Alienation in
Phase Three, is that of Marginalization. The characteristics of this version of Phase Four are opposite to
those of Cultural Integration. Marginalized refugees will often experience unemployment, involvement
with legal and child welfare institutions, temporary housing and dependence on government social
security programs. They may give up hope of acculturating or having a positive role in Canada. They may
drop out of society, and often becoming hard to locate or contact. Refugees that reach this phase are at
risk for substance or domestic abuse or involvement with gangs or crime.
See appendix #1 Stages of Acculturation and Possible Service Implications for more detailed information
on the characteristics of each stage as experienced by the refugee.

Understanding and Appreciating
our Differences
CULTURAL COMPETENCE
Cultural competence does not mean
knowing everything about every culture.
It is a mindset that leads to lifelong learning.
It includes respect for differences, eagerness
to learn, and willingness to accept that there
are many ways of viewing the world.
Just as refugees are expected to begin
demonstrating cross-cultural competence
as soon as they step on Canadian soil,
churches that sponsor refugees should
do everything they can to become crossculturally
aware, so as to better understand
and support their sponsored refugee
family as they experience profound cultural
adjustments.
While becoming cross-culturally competent
is not a formula for avoiding all potential
conflicts in a sponsorship, it can go a long
way in promoting understanding and laying
a strong foundation on which to construct
the sponsorship relationship.
Lack of cultural understanding can affect the
relationship between the accompanying
church and the refugee family in many
ways, from communication barriers
to difficulties building or maintaining trust. Lack of cross-cultural understanding for both the refugee
family and members of the sponsoring church could mean unsatisfactory results over the course of the
sponsorship, with shared goals possibly not being met, or even understood.

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Ideas for building Cross-Cultural Competence: Thankfully, becoming cross-culturally competent
is neither difficult nor tedious. It can be an enjoyable process of discovery and learning, both for the
incoming refugee family and for the sponsoring church community. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge
differences and talk about them with the refugee family - this is important and can be a great way to
learn more about one another’s cultures.
Before and after your church’s refugee family arrives, learn as much as you can about Colombia and
Colombian culture. Learn about the language, food, music and climate in the region of the country
that the refugee came from. Colombia is blessed with great regional diversity, which as a result fosters
in Colombians a deep sense of regional identity and pride. Also learn about traditions, family values,
favourite activities and ways of celebrating special cultural holidays.
Once the family arrives they will appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to learn about their
country and culture. Throughout the journey of accompanying the refugee family as they learn about
Canadian culture and customs, don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about Colombian culture and
customs. The family will likely be more than pleased to teach you, and your interest in their culture is
dignifying to the refugee family. To the extent that you as a church sponsorship group show your value for
Colombian culture, you will be able to help the refugee family find a healthy balance between honouring
and maintaining a healthy identity as Colombians, while building a new positive identity as Canadians.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
For effective intercultural communication to take place, it is helpful to understand some of the cultural
dynamics that come into play. This section is a very brief introduction to the topic; the resources
mentioned at the end of this section are well worth reading and contain many helpful insights and tools
for improving your intercultural communication skills.
High Context vs Low Context: One way to categorize cultures is that of high context or low context. 10
Each context is characterized by very different communication styles. 11 Although entire cultures can be
generalized into one of these two categories, in fact, we all use both types of communication to some
degree.
In high context cultures, meaning is conveyed through the context or through nonverbal cues and
communication tends to be indirect. This means that requests and intentions are more likely to be
10. The terms “high context” and “low context” were coined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his book Beyond Culture. The
terms are not meant to be interpreted as “superior” nor “inferior,” rather they simply distinguish the importance of context in
communication.
11. Sources for this section are:
a. Ting-Toomey, S. and Chung, L. (2005) Understanding Intercultural Communication. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publications.
b. Articles: Michelle LeBaron. (2003) Communication Tools for Understand Cultural Differences and Cross-Cultural
Communication. Beyond Intractability. (www.beyondintractability.org)

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implied rather than stated directly, and tone of voice, gestures or expression carry important clues for
interpreting the message. Latin American culture is a high context culture, therefore it is likely that the
Colombian refugee family will employ communication strategies such as non verbal communication and
indirectness.
In low context cultures, such as Canadian culture, meaning is conveyed through direct verbal communication.
Clarity, “straight talk” and a forthright tone of voice are characteristics of low context communication. What
is said is meant to be taken at face value, and direct questions or answers are appreciated.
As mentioned above, we all use both types of communication at one point or another. Although Canadians
are typically known to be direct, there are times when we speak indirectly, implying what we mean to say
through our tone or a look rather than our words. Nonetheless, because of Canadians’ general tendency
to be low context communicators and Colombians’ general tendency to be high context communicators,
it is important to understand these different communication styles.
Michelle LeBaron, in her article Communication Tools for Understanding Cultural Differences, outlines a
series of suggestions for people from both high context and low context cultures to keep in mind when
they communicate with people from the opposite context:
“Low-context communicators interacting with high-context communicators should be mindful that
acknowledgement;
communicate fully and frankly;
blocks are encountered.
High-context communicators interacting with low-context communicators should be mindful that
advance shared goals; and
The series of imaginary dialogues demonstrating indirect and direct communication that follow are
intended to illustrate what to be attentive to when communicating with the Colombian refugee family.

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Dialogue A. 12
NORTHERN EUROPEAN CANADIAN 1: We are going to the Caribana
Festival in Toronto this weekend.
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN 2: That sounds like fun! I wish I were
going with you.
How long are you going to be there? [ If she wants a ride, she will ask]
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN 1: Three days. By the way, we may need a
ride to the bus station. Do you think you can take us?
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN 2: Sure. What time?
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN 1: 9:30 pm this coming Friday.
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN 2: OK. No problem.
Dialogue B.
COLOMBIAN 1: We are going to the Caribana Festival in Toronto this
weekend.
COLOMBIAN 2: That sounds like fun! I wish I were going with you.
How long are you going to be there?
COLOMBIAN 1: Three days. [ I hope she’ll offer me a ride
to the bus station.]
COLOMBIAN 2: [She may want me to giver her a ride.]
Do you need a ride to the bus station?
I’ll take you.
COLOMBIAN 1: Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?
COLOMBIAN 2: It’s no trouble at all.
Dialogue C.
COLOMBIAN: We are going to the Caribana Festival in Toronto
this weekend.
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN: That sounds like fun! I wish I were going
with you.How long are you going to be there?
COLOMBIAN: Three days. [ I hope she’ll offer me a ride
to the bus station.]
N.EUROPEAN CANADIAN: [ If she wants a ride she’ll ask me.]
Well, have a great time.
COLOMBIAN: [ If she had wanted to give me a ride,
she would have offered it. I’d better ask somebody else.] Thanks.
I’ll see you when I get back.
12. Dialogues and descriptions of individualist vs collectivist cultures are adapted from Understanding Intercultural Communication,
by Ting-Toomey, S. and Chung, L. (2005) Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing.

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In the first two dialogues, the individuals were both using the same communication style and understood
one another perfectly. The third dialogue, however, is a classic example of how misunderstandings can
take place between people from different cultural contexts. The Northern European Canadian, operating
from a direct communication style, never imagined that the Colombian was implicitly asking for a ride,
while the Colombian, operating from an indirect style, thought that the Northern European Canadian
understood her desire to be offered a ride, and actually didn’t want to offer her a ride. Although adapting
our perception skills to hear the subtle and implicit messages can be challenging, it is not impossible.
Just as the Colombian refugee family will have to adapt to the more direct communication style of
most Canadians, it may be very helpful for you to intentionally attune yourself to listening for indirect or
nonverbal messages when communicating with the Colombian family.
Individualist vs Collectivist Cultures: Another way to categorize cultures is that of individualist or
collectivist. 13 One’s identity as an individualist or collectivist will influence both their communication style
and their conflict style.
In an individualist society, individual identity is emphasized over group identity, individual rights over
group rights and individual needs over group needs. Individualism promotes self efficiency, individual
responsibility and personal autonomy. Values include freedom, honesty, social recognition, comfort and
personal equity. Individuals are rewarded for initiative, leadership and personal achievement and a direct
communication style is the norm.
In a collectivist or communitarian society, group identity is emphasized over individual identity and group
rights and needs over individual rights or needs. Collectivism promotes relational interdependence,
harmony within the group and a collaborative spirit. Values include face-saving, respecting parent’s
wishes and fulfillment of other’s needs. Duty, honour and deference to authority are desirable, and
indirect communication is typical.
As you may have deduced from reading the above descriptions, Canadian culture has strong individualist
tendencies while Colombian culture is much more collectivist. Understanding how these identities
influence the way in which both we and others act, communicate, manage conflicts and make decisions
can help increase our mutual understanding and appreciation for one another.
CONFLICT STYLES
Just as Canadians and Colombians have different general communication styles, they also tend to
have different styles of managing conflict. 14 Although each individual has their personal conflict style,
understanding different generalized cultural conflict styles can be helpful when working through conflicts.
13. Dialogues and descriptions of individualist vs collectivist cultures are adapted from Understanding Intercultural Communication,
by Ting-Toomey, S. and Chung, L. (2005) Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing.
14. The description of Latin American conflict styles is adapted from Understanding Intercultural Communication, by Ting-Toomey, S. and
Chung, L, with input from Luis Correa, Fanny Gomez, and Cellia Vasquez, members of Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in Bogotá.

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When dealing with conflict with, Latin Americans typically try to be tactful and to consider each other’s
feelings, using well mannered and diplomatic behaviour. This is especially true if the conflict is with
someone whose relationship is valued or when the conflict is with someone of a higher status. In these
cases, Latin Americans will typically try not to cause embarrassment to the person with which they are in
conflict. They may do this by accommodating the other person’s desires (“smoothing things over”) or by
trying to avoid talking about the conflict all together, for as long as possible.
Smaller conflicts are sometimes dealt with by involving a trusted third person who might be able to
understand the other person’s point of view or serve as a mediator or go-between. Although going to
a third person rather than addressing the problem directly with the individual involved in the conflict
may feel uncomfortable for Canadians, it may actually feel very natural for Colombians and shouldn’t
immediately be interpreted as a lack of trust nor “going behind one’s back.” This conflict resolution style
makes sense given that Colombians come from a high context and collectivist culture. By going to a third
person a Colombian may be doing their best to protect and promote harmony in the relationship with
the party involved in the conflict, since they are attempting to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation that
could potentially damage the relationship.
There are numerous examples of mediation as a form of conflict resolution throughout Colombia. One
such example are the “Palabreros,” traditional community mediators of the Wayuu people from north
eastern Colombia. Palabreros are highly respected in their communities for their role in resolving all kinds
of conflicts, from accidents to disputes over land. This model of third party conflict resolution is common
throughout Colombia, although in many cases it does not involve an official mediator but rather a mutual
friend or trusted and respected third party such as a pastor or church leader.
Since the typical Canadian approach to conflict, which generally involves directness and a confrontational
style, is not common for Latin Americans, Colombians may feel overwhelmed, taken aback or even
attacked when faced with a very direct approach to conflict resolution.
The previous descriptions of Colombian conflict styles could be considered ideal examples, perhaps
more often seen within a church environment or particular indigenous communities than in the society
as a whole. For every example of harmonious conflict resolution or mediation there are many examples
of just the opposite, even when the conflict is relatively small. The culture of “forgiveness” is not common
in Colombia. Family members may spend years not speaking to one another because of differences.
In the work setting, the fear of losing one’s job keeps many employees from addressing conflicts or
injustices.
The resolution of larger problems may be taken to court, however, given high rates of impunity, “taking
justice into one’s own hands” is fairly common in Colombia. Scenarios of retaliatory actions, even going
as far as killings, are not unheard of, especially where there are connections to armed groups or crime.

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Resources for developing Cross-Cultural Competency and Intercultural Communication skills:
Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - and Cold - Climate Cultures, author Sarah A. Lanier, is an easy but
enlightening read about cultural differences. While not specifically about Colombia, it applies well. Availably through YWAM or your local
bookstore. (ISBN: 158158072X)
Learning from the Stranger: Christian Faith and Cultural Diversity, author David I. Smith. According to the review on the
Mennonite Church Canada website “Learning from the Stranger clearly explains what “culture” is, discusses how cultural difference
affects our perceptions and behavior, and explores how Jesus’ call to love our neighbor involves learning from cultural strangers. Built
around three chapter-length readings of extended biblical passages (from Genesis, Luke, and Acts), the book skillfully weaves together
theological and practical concerns, and Smith’s engaging, readable text is peppered with stories from his own extensive firsthand
experience.” Available through the Mennonite Church Canada resource centre. (ISBN: 9780802824639)
http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/resourcecentre/ResourceView/2/12165
The Canadian Centre for Intercultural Learning website has an excellent resource called “Country Insights”, whose Colombia
page offers detailed answers to intercultural questions from both a Colombian and Canadian point of view. Although geared to the
work place, the insights are useful for other contexts. There are also links to other websites for additional information on history,
politics and culture: http://www.intercultures.ca
Beyond Intractability, a website devoted to “constructive approaches to destructive conflict”, offers a variety of articles on cross
cultural communication tools. For example:
Communication Tools for Understanding Cultural Differences:
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/communication_tools/
Cross-Cultural Communication:
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/cross-cultural_communication/
CULTURAL TIPS
Colombia is a multi-cultural country. Its cultural diversity includes but is not limited to the Afro-Colombian
culture on the Pacific coast, the Caribbean culture on the Atlantic coast, a wide variety of Indigenous
cultures throughout the country and the Andean culture in the mountain ranges running through the
centre of the country. Added to the mix are people of Spanish, Western European, Lebanese and Jewish
descent. The country is heavily regionalized, with each region having its own culture, industries, traditions,
music, food, accent and even vocabulary. Unsurprisingly, most Colombians feel a profound sense of
regional identity. A notable result of this sense of regional identity is the presence of regional stereotypes,
both positive and negative, held by most Colombians toward their compatriots from other regions.
The following is a list of general tendencies found across the range of Colombian cultures. These insights
are given in the spirit of increasing awareness rather than encouraging adoption of Colombian customs.
The refugee family will have to adapt to Canadian customs, however understanding some basic Colombian
customs may help interpret some of the things that your sponsored refugee family does or says at first,
or may explain why the family acts surprised or even offended at some of the things you do.

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Importance of Relationships
Constructing and maintaining good relationships is of paramount importance in Colombian culture. The
following collection of cultural tendencies highlights the importance of relationships for Colombians:
Greetings: In small gatherings between family and friends, it is considered polite to greet everyone
personally upon arrival. Likewise, goodbyes are often said to everyone. Failing to greet or say goodbye, at
the very least in a general sense, could be considered rude. In the context of a larger groups of people
this would not be expected.
When arriving late to a meeting Colombians will often interrupt and greet the group. It is considered more
polite to give a verbal greeting than to simply take a seat silently, especially if it is a meeting between
colleagues or in a familiar setting such as church. In formal meeting environments, such as conferences,
this would be much less likely to happen.
Between women and women, or women and men, it is common to greet with a hug or a “cheek - to -
cheek” kiss. Colombian women sometimes substitute grasping one another’s forearms for a handshake.
Men always greet other men with a handshake, perhaps accompanied with a pat on the back, or a hug
if they are good friends.
Colombians will greet each other each time they meet, even if it is several times in a day. If you find
yourself passing by someone you have recently greeted, you can just say “how’s it going?” or even simply
“goodbye.” Acknowledging the presence of the other with a simple greeting is extremely important.
Failing to do so is quite rude.
Small talk is an important part of Colombian greetings, and must be engaged in before the conversation
reaches a deeper level. Three common themes reoccur in Colombian small talk: 1) “How are you?”

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questions. Colombians have many different ways to ask this question, and often use them one after
another. 2) Questions about how family members are doing. 3) Comments about physical appearance,
which sometimes include allusions to one’s weight, generally intended as a complement on one’s
healthy look.
Communication style: As previously mentioned, Colombians are much more indirect than Canadians,
and a very direct communication style is often considered offensive. This indirect communication style
is intended to protect relationships. For Canadians that are used to a direct communication style, the
value of indirect communication for protecting relationships can be hard to grasp at first. For instance, for
Colombians, “I’ll see if I can do it” or “I’ll try” will almost always mean “no.” While Canadians may interpret
this answer as insincere or dishonest, for Colombians it is just the opposite. Answering “I’ll try” is simply
a way to soften the harsh “no” imbedded within their answer, which in itself would be offensive. Other
Colombians will understand exactly what is meant, and not be offended. However, when one responds
“I’ll try” to the request of a person who is truly in need, the “I’ll try” will likely be understood as genuine.
These dynamics can be confusing - reading body language and context is important. Another example
is that Colombians may talk about making plans with friends or acquaintances with no immediate
or specific intention of actually doing so. It is more important to be polite and show interest in the
relationship by sounding like you really would like to get together rather than to say “I can’t” or “I don’t
think it will work out.” Likewise, it is more acceptable to cancel out on plans at the last minute in Colombia
than in Canada. For a Colombian, “I’ll call you later” is often just a platitude while for a Canadian it is a
promise.
Although indirect, Colombians can become very animated while talking. Don’t confuse this animation
with aggression, it isn’t the same thing.
Confrontation is avoided at all costs. If a friend has made a mistake Colombians will not expose it publicly,
as that would cause public embarrassment and a ruined relationship.
Personal space: Colombians are comfortable with much less personal space than Canadians. While it is
common for Colombians to stand or sit as little as one foot apart while conversing, most Canadians will
find this uncomfortably close. It would be unusual for Colombians to choose to sit across the room from
one another for the purposes of a good visit. In the context of Canadian personal space Colombians may
feel uncomfortably far away from one another.
In conversations is is common for physical contact to take place. To reach out and touch the arm or
shoulder or even hand of the person you are talking with is common, especially between women.
The concept of “what is yours is also mine” is commonly held in Colombia between friends and family
members, and borrowing of clothes or other items may take place without asking for prior permission.
As an example, Colombians tend to be more comfortable than Canadians when it comes to drinking out
of the same bottle or even eating utensils.

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Because of some of these differences, Canadian culture may at first seem “cold” to Colombians.
Parent - children relationship: Family relationships are very important, and Colombian families tend
to be extremely close. Colombians value their children very highly. Undoubtedly, parenting styles and
disciplinary methods may be different from what Canadians are used to, however Colombian parenting
styles vary so greatly that it is impossible to generalize a “Colombian parenting style.”
Independence, Dependence and Interdependence: Colombian families tend to be more
interdependent than Canadian families. While Canadian culture places value on children gaining
independence, leaving home and becoming financially stable individuals that make their own decisions
as soon as possible, Colombian families tend to support one another throughout life in a variety of ways.
For example, It is common for Colombian children to remain living at home until they are financially
stable, which often means well into adult-hood. As a result, sometimes sons and daughters continue
to live at home even after getting married. This arrangement makes living more affordable for everyone
and provides a way to endure economically difficult situations. If extended family live together they can
share household goods, food and sometimes even clothing. As parents age, adult children are expected
to care for them in the same way that they were cared for by their parents when they were young. In
Colombia it is very uncommon for elderly parents to be placed in retirement homes. At first glance
Canadians might interpret some of these practices as unhealthy forms of dependency. However, for
Colombians, healthy family relationships are built on the concepts of interdependency and solidarity
rather than independence.
Hierarchy: Colombia is a hierarchical society. Respect must be shown to elders and to people in
positions of authority or with higher education: pastors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, doctors. People
often show respect by addressing others with their title, for example: “Hello Pastor!” or “Hello Engineer.”
“Doctor” is a commonly used for anyone that one considers to have much more power or status than
oneself. Having good relationships with people in hierarchy is often perceived as being the only way
to open new opportunities for oneself. Relationships with people in power, such as the town mayor, a
congressman, judge or a lawyer, can be used to increase one’s status and privileges in the community
and can also be used to manipulate others.
Concept of time: It is considered acceptable - and not rude - to arrive half an hour (or more) late to an
invitation to someone’s house for a social engagement. Often the reason for tardiness is that one bumped
into a friend or acquaintance and, given the importance of relationships, time had to be invested in a
conversation even though there may have been another deadline to meet. Spending up to half an hour
chatting in the street with a friend you ran into is not uncommon. Maintaining the relationship matters
more than time, and eventually everything gets done. Also, since arriving late to social engagements tends
to be the norm, if you arrive punctually, the host might not be ready to receive you. Because punctuality
is not considered important, people become accustomed to not getting ready on time.
In cities, “traffic jams” are a convenient, well-used and often real excuse for arriving late. Many Colombians
are accustomed to using public transport and experiencing delays, detours and changes of plans that are

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outside their control. Given this context, one does not judge another for being late to a meeting or event.
Things simply “come up” constantly in a way that most Canadians experience less often.
Timeliness is valued in work or school settings, although more flexibility is given in those settings than
would be given in Canada. Meetings often stretch on much longer than planned, as a result of indirect
communication styles and the value that is placed on each person’s need to share and relate. Time
doesn’t often seem to be a concern even when people go off topic.
Who pays: The word “invitar” (invite), when used by Colombians, infers that the person doing the
inviting will pay all the costs for the invited person. The concept of sharing the cost is foreign and often
uncomfortable at first to Colombians. When there is a level of trust, Colombians will half jokingly -half
seriously inquire if an invitation is a true “invitation,” so as to know whether they will be expected to pay
their share or not. Between close friends, one may specify that they will pay “in the American way,” which
means that each person will pay for themselves. Although talking about money can be uncomfortable
for Canadians, it is important to be clear with Colombian friends ahead of time how costs will be covered
on group outings. This will prevent misunderstandings and insure that they make an informed decision
regarding accepting the invitation.
Showing affection: In Colombia, romantic affection
is offered more publicly and freely than in Canada, and
isn’t considered inappropriate. Women friends often
walk arm in arm and older children will hold hands
with their parents, especially mothers, in public.
Length of visits & boundaries: Social time shared
together in one another’s homes is precious to
Colombians. Spontaneous visits are much more
common than formal or specific invitations, however. In
Colombia, when one comes to visit, there is no foreseen
time when the visit will end, and spontaneous visits that
last for several hours or more and even include a meal
are not uncommon. While Canadians might expect an
invited guest to go home at a certain hour or have an
ending time imagined for a party or get together, this
could seem unfamiliar and rude to a Colombian guest.
Colombians, to the contrary, might assume one stays
well into the night, especially if friends are having fun
with one another and the relationships are ones of
mutual affection and trust.
In Colombia it is quite common for a person to extend
an invitation to a friend - and have three or four people

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arrive unexpectedly. This sort of “tagging along” is normal and accepted in Colombia, and checking ahead
with the host is not considered necessary - friends know that their friends will be welcome.
Hosting and Invitations: While Colombians enjoy spending time together in one another’s homes,
formal dinner invitations are not common. These invitations will be very important for the refugee family
to receive upon arriving to your community, however don’t be surprised if the family doesn’t reciprocate
with specific invitations to their home. Since dropping by unannounced for visits is much more common
in Colombian culture, it is likely that the family may wait for members of the church community to
simply drop in rather than extending formal invitations to new friends from church. Don’t take their lack
of invitations as a sign that the family doesn’t want to get to know you - they will be eager to, and would
likely be very happy with frequent drop in visits. It is appropriate to bring a small gift such as cookies or
cake or flowers when visiting the home of a friend.
Importance of short phone calls: Most Colombians own a cell phone and use it liberally. Those who
don’t own a phone or don’t have “minutes” on it just buy cell phone minutes on the street from a vendor
for very little cost. Colombians place a strong emphasis on touching base by phone with one another
on a birthday, a holiday, any special day like Mother’s or Father’s Day or a day marking an important life
achievement such as graduation. Phone calls are also appropriate and appreciated any time a person
is known to be sick, hospitalized or having a hard time. Brief telephone calls show that one cares and is
attentive to their family and dear friends. The length or content of the call is not nearly as important as
that it occurred. To forget or omit a phone call of this sort is a personal affront; in the event a call was
forgotten, an apology should be offered the next time you speak to the person. Whereas a Canadian
might not want to disturb a bereaved friend with a phone call nor bother someone in what could be the
middle of their special birthday meal, a Colombian would welcome such phone calls, count them with
pride and be touched that they were remembered in that way.
Colombians will not be expecting birthday gifts from friends in the way a Canadian might, but they will
expect and truly appreciate these birthday phone calls.
Visiting patients in the hospital: Colombians want to be connected to one another at times of crisis
or significant events rather than needing personal or private space. Because of this, visiting hospitalized
family or friends is very important for Colombians. In Colombia, visiting hours and limits on visitors in
hospital rooms seem to be less strict than in Canada, and the presence of what could seem like an
overwhelming stream of visitors is generally welcomed and appreciated by the hospitalized Colombian.
Canadians may avoid visiting a hospitalized friend out of concern for overloading the friend with energydraining
visits, and if they do visit, they likely keep their visits short. For a hospitalized Colombian, being
surrounded by visitors affirms that they have many friends who care deeply about them and shows them
that they are not alone. It is expected that a visitor will bring a small gift such as fruit, flowers or yogurt
when visiting a hospitalized friend. Phone calls from friends or family who can not make it to the hospital
are expected and welcomed by the patient.

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Accompaniment: A term not commonly used in the Canadian vocabulary, perhaps due to the high
value Canadians place on independence, the concept of accompaniment is extremely important to
Colombians. The idea of accompanying one another - be it on small errands or to the bus stop, being
present with a friend going through difficult times or taking part in important celebrations - is greatly
valued. This is why short visits, phone calls just to say hi and let your friend know you are thinking of
them, and checking in on friends that are ill or in the hospital are so important. Accompanying one
another is a way of showing the value you place on the relationship and on the person.
Appearance
A clean and tidy appearance is valued at all levels of Colombian society. The next two points take a closer
look at the importance of appearance:
Personal Appearance: Looking good is mandatory in Colombian culture. It is a sign of good etiquette
and respect for self and for those around you. Dressing very casually or “sloppily” in public falls outside
of cultural norms. One must dress well in order to be taken seriously by others, especially when dealing
with financial or state entities.
Shopping in thrift shops may at first seem like a strange idea for Colombian refugees - they may fear that
they won’t look good in second hand clothes, since second hand shops in Colombia tend to carry poor
quality and often worn out clothes. As well, most Colombian refugees have experienced discrimination
and the loss of financial security, if not abject poverty, prior to arriving in Canada. Looking one’s best is a
protection against looking poor or looking “displaced” and being socially marginalized as a result.
Clothing is widely manufactured in Colombia, and although there is a wide range in prices, it is possible
to find clothing at very economic prices. Even for Colombia’s poor, purchasing new clothing is much
more common than purchasing second hand clothing, due to the availability of inexpensive clothing.
It is a common cultural practice for new clothes to be worn on important days such as Christmas and
New Years.

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Appearance of the home: A tidy house is the pride of a Colombian woman. It is very embarrassing
for a Colombian woman to have anyone see her house in a mess, as her home represents who she is
as a person.
Miscellaneous Cultural Tips
Oral Cultural: Colombia culture has a strong oral tradition. A characteristic of oral cultures is the value
placed on story telling, and this is evident in Colombian culture through the prevalence of story and song.
For families or groups of friends to get together and spend an hours telling stories or singing together is
common. Many Colombians - especially those from the coastal regions - are comfortable singing aloud
and even solo, regardless of if they can actually hold a tune. In the plains region of Colombia, singing is
often a valuable element to meetings. Story telling and improv song writing festivals and competitions are
common, in Colombia. Winners - the cuenteros (storytellers) who have the best story telling style and the
verseadores (improv song composers) that compose the best “verses” 15 - are held in high regard for their
skill in weaving words together. Street performers commonly use story telling as a form of busking, and
generally attract sizeable crowds. The well known works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, winner of the Nobel
Prize in Literature, popularized a literary style known as “magical realism,” which reflects the Colombian
penchant for good story telling. In conversation, Colombians tend to focus on communicating ideas rather
than on mathematical precision. For example, “the other day” can mean anything from “yesterday” to
“several years ago.” Exaggeration is a common tool of speech, useful for making stories more enjoyable or
captivating for the listener - since it is better to tell an interesting story than a factual one.
Music and Dance: Music and dance are important aspects of Colombian culture, and Colombia is richly
blessed with a wide variety of cultural and regional musical genres and accompanying dance styles.
Be it at church, a birthday party or wedding reception, in a shopping centre or even just at home, music
is appreciated, and it is often enjoyed at volume levels a few notches higher than typical for most
Canadians. Volume levels that may seem unnervingly loud to some Canadians may be just right - even
optimal for relaxing - for many Colombians.
Most Colombians enjoy dancing and do so very well. Starting in kindergarten or earlier, children are taught
traditional dances. Dancing with one’s family and friends is a common element to celebrations such as New
Years or birthdays. Although some conservative churches in Colombia discourage dancing, most people of
faith embrace their ability and enjoyment of dancing as an essential part of their cultural identity.
Milestones & Special Dates: There are a number of annual events or once-in-a-lifetime events that
are of great importance to Colombians.
15. Festivals of verseadores include contrapunteo or piqueria - verbal dual-style competitions between two singers who must
respond back and forth to one another until one can no longer improvise a good response as well as competitions in which
singers are given a topic about which to improvise verses on the spot, or a phrase with which their verses must end or rhyme.

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A girl’s 15th birthday marks her passing into womanhood. It is not unheard of for parents to go into debt
in order to host a first class party celebrating this important milestone in their daughter’s life. There is no
equivalent important birthday for boys.
New Year’s Day is the most important holiday of the year, and being together with extended family
for New Year’s is more important than it is on Christmas. New Year’s is celebrated with food, music,
and even firecrackers.
Many Colombians enjoy gift giving on special days like birthdays and Christmas. Even small gifts are
appreciated. For poorer families, this may never have been a possibility.
Behaviour in the home: Good hospitality demands that the host or hostess offer her visitors a seat
and something to drink right away. It is not uncommon for the host/ess to continue cooking, alone, in
the kitchen while guests wait.
In the home food is usually served on the plate rather than placed on the table in serving dishes. Serving
oneself and choosing one’s portions will be a new experience for Colombians in Canada.
It is completely normal to leave shoes on inside the house.
It is quite rude to put your feet up on the couch. One should act “proper” when visiting the home of
others.
Due to Colombia’s weaker septic systems Colombians are not accustomed to flushing toilet paper, but
rather use the waste basket.
Common Food: Although food in Colombia is quite regional, some generalizations can be made.
Breakfast may contain a combination of the following: coffee or hot chocolate, fresh juice, arepas (a
heavy, thick “tortilla” or “pancake” made from corn meal or freshly ground corn), buns, eggs, caldo (a
broth containing meat, potatoes and cilantro) or changua (a soup made of eggs, onions, milk, cheese
and bread). In the rural regions breakfast may be even more substantial, including fish, meat, cheese,
yuca or plantain. Another breakfast option common to many regions of Colombia is calentado - many
leftovers from the previous day, often including rice and beans, are put together in a skillet and warmed
up. Sweet food for breakfast is not at all common.
Lunch generally begins with a soup and is followed with a plate containing several portions of carbohydrates
such as rice, plantain, potatoes, pasta or yuca, a protein in the form of chicken, beef, pork or fish, and
a small portion of salad (often consisting of raw onion and tomato slices) and/or cooked vegetables.
Eating raw vegetables (other than in salads) is extremely uncommon. Lunch will be accompanied by
fresh fruit juice, which is often drunk at the end of the meal. Desserts in restaurants, if served at all, come
in bite-sized portions, reflecting the fact that Colombians do not normally eat large nor rich desserts.

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Usually tinto (black coffee) or aromatica (herbal tea made from fresh fruits and herbs) is served in place
of dessert.
Some typical, regional lunches include Ajiaco, which is common in Bogota and Bandeja Paisa, from the
Medellin region. Ajiaco is a soup made from three varieties of potatoes and aracacha, a starchy root,
complemented with corn on the cob, chicken, avocado, sour cream, capers and rice. Bandeja Paisa
consists of a heaping plate of beans, ground beef, sausage, chicharrón (fried pig skin), a fried egg, rice,
plantain, arepa and a slice of avocado.
Supper varies - for some it may be very similar to lunch and for others it may be something light such as
fruit, arepas, cheese and hot chocolate.
Common snacks include avena - a sweet, creamy drink made from oatmeal, savory empanadas, cheesestuffed
arepas, and and pan de bono - buns made from yuca flour and stuffed with cheese or bocadillo
(guava paste).
For many displaced people, meat, vegetables and fruit may be too expensive to eat on a regular basis.
Lentils and rice make up large portions of the diets of those with fewer resources, while the poorest
subsist on bread and agua de panela (water sweetened with cane sugar).
Eating out: Inexpensive lunches are widely available throughout Colombia’s cities, and eating out for
lunch is common among middle class professionals and students.
“Humours”: Many Colombians believe that the “humours” 16 of others are left behind on their clothing
and items they have touched. The concept of humours could perhaps be compared to the North
American concepts of a person’s “energy” or “vibes.” It is not a religious belief, but rather a cultural one.
On the bus, Colombians often do not take a seat immediately after the person previously occupying the
seat stands up. It is better to wait for the seat to cool down and for the humours of the other person
to leave before sitting down. This evasion of the humours of others is not meant as judgement of their
cleanliness: everyone has humours and one’s outwards appearance does not necessarily represent
one’s humours.
This is another reason why buying second hand clothing is not common for Colombians. Second hand
clothes still contain the “humours” of the previous user, and one does not want to contaminate oneself
with potentially negative humours.
16. The ancient physicians believed that there were four humors (the blood, phlegm, yellow bile or choler, and black bile or
melancholy), on the relative proportion of which the temperament and health depended. State of mind, whether habitual or
temporary (as formerly supposed to depend on the character or combination of the fluids of the body); disposition; temper;
mood; as, good humor; ill humor. [1913 Webster].

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Gestures: A human being’s height is always demonstrated with the palm of the hand held out facing
sideways while the height of animals is demonstrated with the palm of the hand facing down. Most
Colombians are shocked when they see a Canadian indicate the height of a person with a downward
facing palm.
Yawning may indicate hunger as well as tiredness.
Last Names: Colombians have two last names, the first one inherited from their father and the second
from their mother. Colombian parents pass on the first of their own two last names to their children. For
example, if Pablo Ortiz Padilla and Sara Herrera Dominguez have a child named Ana, Ana’s full name will
be Ana Ortiz Herrera. Both parents’ first last names are taken into account when referring to the family
group, thus Pablo, Sara and Ana will be known as the “Ortiz Herrera family.” A common mistake for
Canadians is to assume that all the members of a Colombian family will share a common last name, and
that this last name will be the father’s second last name (In the case of our example, many Canadians
would mistakenly assume that Pablo, Sara and Ana are the ‘Padilla family’ - this will sound very odd to
the Colombian family.) For most Colombians the idea of a woman changing her name at marriage to
her husband’s last name seems both archaic and sexist. Occasionally a mother will pass both of her
last names on to her children, especially in situations where the father is not present or does not take
responsibility for the child.
Religious Composition: Most Colombians consider themselves to be religious, with some 90%
identifying as Catholic. Most of the remaining 10% belong to Protestant denominations, especially
common are the Evangelical, Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal movements, however there is also a
small but significant presence of historical churches such as the Lutheran, Mennonite, Presbyterian,
Baptist and Methodist. Along with indigenous religions, a minor percentage of the population identify
as Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim or Jewish, while others identify as Buddhist or atheist. The
Constitution of 1991 recognized freedom of worship and no longer identified the Catholic Church the
official state church. Prior to this, in the 40s, 50s and 60s, during a time known as “The Violence,” there
were periods of fierce religious persecution and violence, primarily directed from Catholics towards non-
Catholics, and only recently have ecumenical movements begun.
Importance of Class: Colombian society is heavily stratified, based on an economic class system.
One of the clearest ways in which class divisions are marked is that of the “strata” markings of each
neighbourhood. Throughout Colombian cities, each neighbourhood is assigned a number, from one
to six, with one being the lowest stratum, and therefore the poorest neighbourhoods and six being the
highest stratum and most affluent neighbourhoods. The cost of rent and public services such as water,
electricity, natural gas, telephone lines and internet are priced respective to the strata, with lower costs
in lower strata and higher costs in upper strata neighbourhoods. In some cities neighbourhoods from
different strata are intermixed, while in other cities there is great separation between neighbourhoods of
high and low strata. In many cases Colombians from the highest strata may have never set foot in strata
one or two neighbourhoods. The decision to geographically stratify cities was a government decision,
made in order to organize the payment of taxes and services.

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CULTURAL OBSERVATIONS FROM COLOMBIAN REFUGEES
Many of the Colombian refugees interviewed shared insights and observations that they had made
about Canadian culture and society. By noticing which aspects of Canadian culture struck Colombian
refugees as “different” or “unusual,” we can learn a lot about the context and culture from which they
have come.
The presence and role of figures of authority, especially police, in Canada: Encounters with
members of the armed forces or police in Colombia often result in feelings such as fear or distrust for
displaced Colombians. Some of the interviewed Colombians were surprised to have neutral or even
positive encounters with police in Canada.
“Here policemen pass you without causing problems.” - Roberto
“One day I was working on a street in the city when an RCMP car stopped next to me and a police man
asked me a question. I didn’t understand him, and because of my pronunciation of English he realized that I
wasn’t Canadian, or that I was a newcomer. He got out of the car and I became quite nervous - not because I
felt that I was illegal, but rather because I thought that perhaps I didn’t have the necessary attire or uniform,
and that maybe I was missing something like a reflective vest. I really didn’t know what I could have done
wrong, but as a Colombian one always feels guilty of something. I quickly realized that the policeman only
wanted to get to know me a little bit, and he began to ask me questions about why I was here, and what was
going on in Colombia. I began to talk to him about our Colombian “story.” Our conversation ended with
the policeman giving me a big hug and a warm welcome to Canada, and telling me that he felt sorry for
everything that was going on in Colombia....I asked myself ‘How is it possible that here the policemen hug
strangers if in Colombia the police assassinate their countrymen?’” - José
Family and community life: Numerous Colombians found social life in Canada to be quite different.
For some, a sense of local community was missing. Others remarked on the sense of citizenship and
care for nature they saw in Canada while others noted differences in the visibility of poverty.
“In Canada people spend more time in their homes. People are very independent here, each person lives
their life, children leave home young.” - Dora
“The atmosphere is more tranquil here. It’s a nice ambiance. The people have a sense of citizenship - you see
the cities are very organized, the cars park where they are supposed to park, you don’t even need police. The
city is very clean. Here pedestrians have the right of way, the cars stop so the people can cross the street. You
don’t see many police. You see that everything is very organized and the people don’t want to leave here. In
Colombia people spend more time socializing with their neighbours outside in the streets.” - Alex
“In Colombia you go out on the street and see a lot of people begging, asking for help....Here you go out on
the street and you don’t see anyone asking for money.” - Cecilia

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Social situations and interpersonal relations:
Many interviewed Colombians alluded to differences
in terms of equality and social stratification. As
displaced people in Colombia they had experienced
discrimination and marginalization in Colombia. Being
treated as equals in Canada was one of the most
common observations about the cultural differences
they had noticed since arriving in Canada.
“In Colombia people recognized me around the
country and I was well liked as a newscaster and
journalist. After my displacement I used to be
embarrassed easily. In Colombia you have to wear
nice clothes, a suit and tie, if you go to the bank or
go out shopping. Here you don’t have to do that, no
one is paying attention to how I dress, to what I eat.
If I go into the bank with sandals and shorts, no one
cares. Here there isn’t discrimination about what one
is buying, whether I’m buying rice and eggs (food for
a poorer person) or whether I’m buying meat (food for
a richer person).” - Carlos
“I realize that no one looks at you here. If you are walking in flip flops it looks normal. People mind their own
business, their shopping - they aren’t paying attention to you. It is a different culture, but they see us as normal.
It’s not like in Colombia where if you go to a bank or to a store wearing simple clothing the door guards ask you
what you want, what you are doing there....[Here] if you don’t speak English people try to help you.” - Roberto
“It’s neat to learn about another culture. We’ve noticed a lot of differences: At the supermarket women with
little children go ahead. Children are given a lot of privileges here. Honesty: we left our wedding rings in a
doctor’s office, later we returned and they had saved them for us.” - Jorge
“There are times when I’m walking on the street and people that I don’t know greet me saying ‘good morning.’
They don’t look at me they way they did in Colombia - when one walks in the street and when a rich person
passes they look down on you. The people treat me much better here...My son felt a lot of discrimination in
Colombia, he was considered a “special child” and wasn’t allowed to attend school, and here they treat him
like any other child. He is not the same as he was in Colombia. Here he is waking up, he is adapting to the
other children. He speaks more! He understands a lot. He is learning to write. He has many friends and the
teachers love him. He is learning how to greet people with his hand rather than by hugging.” - Adriana
Driving etiquette: Observations about compliance with the rules of the road speak to the difference
between being behind the wheel in Colombia and in Canada.

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“Here drivers come to a complete stop at every stop sign. When we told our sponsors that in Colombia we
also have stop signs, but no one respects them, they replied that here there is a $250 fine for not stopping.
I am not sure if Canadians obey the rules because of fear of a fine, or because of their culture of proper
conduct. I think it is a combination of both.” - José
Differences in diet: Some Colombians commented on encountering surprises as they were served
their first meals in Canada.
“When we arrived to the apartment we were really hungry because of the trip. There was some roasted
chicken in the apartment. We told our sponsors that we hadn’t eaten, so they heated up the chicken. When
we bit into the chicken we were shocked to discover that it didn’t taste like anything! It didn’t have any
flavour! Here they eat raw vegetables - in Colombia we eat cooked vegetables. It was really funny for us to
eat raw vegetables. We had to keep ourselves from laughing out loud.” - Sara
Hope for building intercultural community: Despite what may initially seem like great cultural
differences, even barriers, Colombian refugees are hopeful about the possibility of developing mutual
understanding with their new Canadian friends and communities.
“We hope to accustom ourselves to the Canadian “human warmth.” We can’t say that here there is no
human warmth, only that it is very different from the Latino human warmth.” - José
“We are human, and we are with other human beings. We have the possibility of mutual understanding
with one another with any human society in the world. We have differences in our customs and certain
elements in our society, but there are common elements that unite us in our identity. As believers in God,
we have the identity and hope to be able to connect with and understand people in any part of the world.”
- David
RESOURCES ON COLOMBIAN CULTURE
Although some of the following resources fail to mention - or seem to even deny - the presence of an armed conflict in
Colombia, they are excellent resources to learn more about the many beautiful aspects of Colombia and Colombian culture.
The official tourism website of Colombia has information on the cultures, traditions, food, and holidays of many different different
regions of Colombia: http://www.colombia.travel/en/
BBC Country Profiles page has up to date information on Colombia:
CIA World Factbook entry on Colombia:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html
The official youtube channel for tourism in Colombia has many high quality videos showing Colombia and it’s culture:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Colombiatravel
Though dated, much of the information remains relevant on this Citizenship and Immigration Canada profile for Colombia:
http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/colombia/index.html

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USING INTERPRETERS
Most churches will initially need to use an interpreter to communicate with their sponsored Colombian
refugee family. This is a normal part of forming cross-cultural relationships. Finding a good interpreter can
be a challenge, especially outside of larger urban centres.
There are a number of factors to take into account when choosing an appropriate interpreter. A good
interpreter builds trust and is an important part of helping the family to feel comfortable in their relationship
with the church. A poor choice of interpreter can, on the contrary, damage the relationship and create
distrust and poor communication. If your church has Spanish speakers in the congregation, there is
nothing wrong with involving them in the accompaniment of the refugee family, in fact, doing so is likely
something that would be greatly appreciated by the refugee family. Nonetheless, there are important
considerations to be made before deciding if that person is an appropriate interpreter or not.
The Colombians interviewed for this guide gave examples of both positive and negative experiences that
they had had with the interpreters in Canada. The following two examples illustrate important factors to
consider when choosing an interpreter to use with your Colombian refugee family.
Because of the complexity of the armed conflict in Colombia, some Colombians may not feel comfortable
with an interpreter from Colombia. Colombians who do not have a prior relationship often have difficulty
trusting one another, especially if they were victims of different armed groups. Colombian refugees may
not feel free to speak honestly about their past or present situation to a Colombian interpreter. The
following quote illustrates that it is often preferable to find an interpreter from another Spanish - speaking
country. It also illustrates the negative impact that an interpreter who does not follow the guidelines of
interpretation can have:
“I think that it is very important that the interpreters not be from the same country as oneself.
Our interpreter sometimes tells us that ‘we need to be grateful because the church has given
that to you - I never had that.’ I feel judged. I think that an interpreter should build more trust.
Other Colombians feel the same way. For example, I have a Mexican friend and we sit and
talk...Someone like her would be a good interpreter. The key moment is when one arrives...
you need a person (interpreter) you can trust.” - Nilsa
Nonetheless, nationality is not the only consideration. Another refugee family reported a situation in
which a church chose a interpreter from within the congregation who appeared to intentionally attempt
to damage the family’s reputation, perhaps because of personal issues:
“We had a communication problem because of the interpreter who seemed to want to
manipulate information....Because the interpreter had more credibility in the church, having
been there longer than we had, the church believed the interpreter rather than us. (Because
of things the interpreter said about us) we saw a change in the way the people in the church
treated us....The situation was sad and uncomfortable for us. It was difficult to know that

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people in the church could be thinking badly of us....Churches need to be careful when choosing
an interpreter. An interpreter should say only what is said, and nothing more. They should
not manipulate information, add their opinion, or give advice. If the church chooses someone
from the congregation, they should consider what principles the person has, what strengths
and what weaknesses he or she has - are they short tempered, impatient, of bad humour?
Maybe the church can find a good interpreter in the church, but I think it would be good every
once in a while for the church to ask for a professional interpreter just to talk about specific
things and make sure everything is alright.” - Carolina
If using a Spanish speaker from within your congregation or community as an interpreter is the best or
only option, you may want to consider organizing a training session with this person ahead of time. Such a
session would be important not only for the “in house” interpreter but also for church members who will
be speaking through the interpreter, to ensure smooth communication and mutual understanding during
conversations. The chart in appendix #2 contains some useful guidelines for working with interpreters
that you could use in your preparation session with the in house interpreter.

Promoting Restoration from
Refugee Trauma
UNDERSTANDING REFUGEE
TRAUMA
As victims of war, torture and human rights abuses,
Colombian refugees have often experienced
considerable trauma. Just as trauma effects a person’s
mental and emotional well being, trauma can and does
affect how refugees interact with and adapt to their
receiving community. At the same time, Colombian
refugees are people of great resilience, strength and
courage and have potential not only to recover from the
effects of their past experiences but to grow in new and
meaningful ways. When considering refugee trauma, it
is useful to begin by differentiating the following three
concepts: stress, trauma and resilience. 17
The word stress is used to refer to any outside force
or event that has an effect on the body, mind or
emotions. We also use the word stress to refer to the
automatic physical, mental or emotional response to
these events. Stress - both the event and the reaction
- is a normal part of life and can be neutral, positive
or negative. A healthy level of stress encourages
productivity and creativity and leads to a sense
of well-being and satisfaction. Too much stress is
overwhelming, causing frustration and distress. Stress
that builds up over time is known as accumulated or
compounded stress, and can cause general anxiety,
depression and even burnout.
Colombian refugees share their
experiences dealing with the
effects of trauma after arriving in
Canada:
“Here you really keep your
memories to yourself. At times it
seems as though you have lost your
memory. Sometimes I don’t think
about those memories for many
days. Other days the memories
come back to you and it’s like living
them all over again. The “memory
loss” doesn’t last very long - but
those moments (when you are not
thinking about your past) - are
really cool. You feel good when
you are not thinking about the
memories of what you have lived.”
- Sara
“Sometimes it’s difficult because it is
still...sometimes it seems like it was
just yesterday. I still don’t know how
to cure that. Every so often I feel
nostalgic, it hits me hard and causes
me stress.”
- D o r a
17. Definitions of stress, trauma and resilience adapted from the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) Program,
Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia, USA. www.emu.edu/star

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“The memories of family
members that you left behind
are difficult. You hope that
you can visit them one day.
You wish you could vaccinate
the perpetrators of the
violence, so that they would
stop doing such stupid things.”
- Carlos
“When we first came here it was really
hard for us when people asked us where we
lived, how many children we had, where we
came from, why we came. We had trained
ourselves and our children never to give
out that kind of information. We were
always on the defence. It was the same with
pictures - we didn’t want anyone to take
our pictures. We were worried when our
children’s pictures showed up on the school
walls, we didn’t want their pictures to appear
in the newspaper. At first we always said ‘no,
no, no, no, no, no.’ We were trying to protect
ourselves, but later we realized that we had to
change. That it is ok, even nice, to talk about
ourselves. We had to adapt. These are things
that take time to get over. You never stop
being alert. Here people are more trusting.
This is a good place for us - it is peaceful, we
can go outside for walks.”
- Nidia
Like stress, trauma can be used to refer both to an event and to the response that survivors have to the
event. Traumatic events are highly stressful, horrifying events over which people feel that they have no
control and in which they feel powerless and threatened by injury or death to themselves or someone else.
Some of the traumatic events that refugees experience can be found on the chart Triple Trauma Paradigm
in the section Characteristics of the Refugee Journey. Traumatic events can be classified into different
categories:
entire group of people.
or ethnocide.
unjust systems, poverty, racism and other forms of discrimination.

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Most Colombian refugees will have experienced several, if not most of these different layers of trauma.
Traumatic stress is the physical, mental or emotional response to having experienced traumatic events.
These responses to the traumatic event are normal, and can be understood as coping mechanisms that
trauma survivors use to get through difficult or traumatic situations. However, over time these responses
- the symptoms or expressions of trauma - if maintained, become dysfunctional. For example if a person
whose life is in danger wakes up frequently during the night, this trauma response/symptom may
actually save her life by ensuring that she is constantly aware of what is going on around her and able
to detect any potential danger. However, assuming this person is now in Canada and safe from danger,
constant waking up throughout the night now serve no useful purpose - this trauma symptom has now
become an inappropriate coping mechanism.
Although it might seem illogical that trauma symptoms would continue or return after the survivor has
arrived in a safe environment, the fact is they often do. Trauma symptoms often take time to go away,
even when the survivor is no longer in immediate danger. When refugees move to a different country,
they face many stressful life changes while at the same time the support systems that they had in place
to help them cope in their home country are taken away. The stressful events of the transition may trigger
earlier symptoms of trauma, causing those responses to show up again, even though they are no longer
appropriate or needed.
Despite the wide variety of ways in which humans respond to trauma, the same range of effects and
responses is common to all kinds of traumas. 18 This means that if you have ever experienced a traumatic
event, such as a life-threatening accident, a devastating storm or earthquake or a sudden death of a loved
one, you may have experienced some of the same physical, emotional and social trauma responses as
the refugee family has experienced. Nonetheless, it is very important to remember that when a traumatic
event was premeditated and carried out by other human beings, which is the case for war and human
rights abuses, the effects of the trauma tend to be more severe and longer lasting. Recognizing that
responses to different kinds of trauma are similar can take some of the mystery out of talking about
trauma and its effects while also helping us to empathize and to give more effective support.
Since many of the responses or symptoms of trauma are “silent” and could easily go undetected it is
important to listen and watch for both verbal and non-verbal signs of trauma. By learning what to look for,
how to look for it, and how to respond you can be part of the process of restoration from trauma.
Resilience is the capacity of individuals and communities to adapt, survive and bounce back in the midst
of or after hardship and adversity. The term resilience comes from the fields of physics and engineering,
and refers to elasticity - an ability to bend and stretch without breaking. Resilient people are able to return
to equilibrium and a level of functioning the same as or greater than before a crisis, tragedy or trauma,
and to live with hope and joy despite adversity.
18. Evelyn C. Lennon, MSW, MA. (2005) New Neighbours Hidden Scars, chapter 3 Healing the Hurt. Minneapolis, MN: The Centre
for Victims of Torture, www.ctv.org

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Factors that contribute to resilience include the following:
challenges and solve problems
these in an appropriate way
and hope.
and social services.
Something called “post-traumatic growth” has been observed in people who have survived traumas. Posttraumatic
growth is evident in people that are not only able to reach a place of equilibrium and renewed
life after trauma but also demonstrate profound and continued growth as a result of the trauma.
The following sections will go into more detail about the effects that refugee trauma can have on the
individual and the family, both personally and in relation to their new environment. we’ve also included
tips on talking about trauma and promoting restoration and rebuilding life after traumatic events.
“There are dates that I will
never forget in my life. What
happened to my son took place
on my birthday - it’s very
saddening to think that my
boy had to go through such a
terrible accident at his young
age. When everything started
was August 21. Every August
21 is hard now. It’s a date that you wish you didn’t remember. When we had to flee from
our city. I still don’t feel like I’m completely healed. Things have gotten better but the effects
are still there, the sadness. I think that with time the Lord is going to heal all of that.”
- Laura

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EFFECTS OF REFUGEE TRAUMA ON THE INDIVIDUAL
The charts on pages 59 and 60 summarize some common effects of torture and war trauma. They are
written in lay language, so they can be given to or discussed with refugees themselves. The charts on
pages 61 and 62 categorize common refugee concerns that pose many challenges in recovering from
trauma. Appendix #3 contains a complementary chart on common responses to trauma that you may
also find useful.
COMMON EFFECTS OF WAR AND TRAUMA
Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder
Nightmares
Bad thoughts or memories
of the war come into your
mind when you don’t want
them to
Acting or feeling like the war
is happening all over again
(e.g., flashbacks)
Feeling very upset when
something reminds you of
the war or torture
Trying to forget the war or
torture, trying
not to think about it
Staying away from anything
that reminds
you of the war or torture
Can’t remember important
things that happened during
the war
Depression
Feeling sad or angry a lot
Difficulty thinking or making
decisions
Difficulty concentrating or
remembering
Feeling worthless or
hopeless
Feeling guilty a lot
Feeling that you don’t care
about life, that you are not
interested in things
Feeling too hungry or
not hungry at all, gaining
or losing a lot of weight
without trying to
Sleeping too much or too
little
Feeling tired a lot, not
having energy
Thinking about death a
lot, thinking about killing
yourself
Internally displaced
Colombians share how
trauma affects their
daily lives. These kinds
of fears will come with
refugees when they
begin life in Canada:
“Taking the bus is a
trauma.”
- Edwin
(he witnessed his father’s
murder on a bus.)
“I feel nervous when I
walk on the street.”
- Ricardo
“The bad things about
memories: sadness,
helplessness, anger.”
- Ana
Common Effects of War and Trauma chart courtesy of the Center for Victims
of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104, www.cvt.org
© Center for Victims of Torture

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COMMON EFFECTS OF WAR AND TRAUMA
Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder
Feeling like you don’t
care about life
or what happens to you
Feeling numb, like there
are no feelings inside
you
Feeling like you have no
future or that you may
die sooner than most
people
Difficulty falling asleep or
staying asleep
at night
Feeling angry a lot, easily
upset
Difficulty concentrating
Can’t relax or feel
comfortable, often afraid
something bad will
happen
Physical Symptoms
Headaches
Feeling dizzy, faint or
weak
Chest pain
Heart beats very fast
Stomach hurts or
feeling sick in the
stomach
Shaking or trembling
Hands or feet feel cold
Hot or burning feelings
Numb or tingling
sensations
Sweating
Diffuse or generalized
sense of pain,
weakness, misery
Other pains in the
body.
“As a woman you are are more
sensitive. Things affect you
more. Things you remember
from the life you had...you see
families, and you see yourself
alone...You remember your
material possessions, the house,
the things you had, the moment
in which you had to flee. Each
time I hear a cell phone I think
it is someone calling to threaten
me. I remember when they
tied him up and I couldn’t do
anything. Memories revive
fears.”
- Luz
“I had a nervous tic that lasted
for a week. I was at the verge of
taking my life. I had nightmares
of persecution and death.
Discouragement. I haven’t been
able to get over the emotional
pain, it’s still there.”
- Jesus
“When I see someone who
want’s to harm my family,
I become aggressive.”
- Luis
“My back hurts when I have to
leave the house. Seven hours of
back pain.”
- Julio
“Because you can’t trust anyone,
you act aloof, causing others not
to trust you either.”
- Hernando
Common Effects of War and Trauma chart courtesy of the Center
for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104,
www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture

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COMMON CONCERNS FOR SURVIVORS
OF TORTURE & WAR TRAUMA
Fears
Fear for loved ones left behind
Fear of experiencing trauma or its
after-affects
Fear of violence and guns
Fear of losing control (over anger,
aggressive impulses, anxiety
symptoms, etc.)
Fear of people in uniforms
or positions of authority
Fear of certain objects, places,
activities, sensations that remind
one of the trauma
Loss
Loss of meaning, identity, cultural
values and practices
Sadness and grief over loss of
homeland, family, home, treasures,
community status, friends,
hobbies, family land, and work
Unresolved grief and conflicted
feelings about ambiguous
losses (e.g., disappeared family,
ambivalence about one day
returning to home country)
Spending holidays alone,
missing familiar traditions
Boredom and/or
underemployment
Dependency on others, including
one’s children, for basic needs
Dealing with health problems,
injury, or disfigurement as a result
of war or torture
Distrust
Sense of betrayal
Difficulty trusting others
Difficulty trusting oneself
(one’s thoughts, feelings,
perceptions.)
Difficulty being touched
Communication
Challenges
Lack of consistent news
from home country
Communication
difficulties between
Canada and Colombia
(e.g. mail get’s opened
or screened,
calls can’t get through
or are tapped)
Difficulty learning English,
especially if symptoms
of PTSD or depression
are present
Difficulty remembering
and keeping track
of tasks, items,
appointments,
conversations
Colombian Refugees
in Canada share their
concerns and challenges:
“It’s not difficult for me to
call my family from here,
but it is difficult to listen to
them and know that they
still have problems. One of
my sisters has cancer and
is very ill. I think I will
never see her again.”
- Adriana
“When I need to ask a
question to the children’s
teachers, I use an online
translator and my
dictionary to write out
the question, and I send it
to the teachers, and they
reply in writing. When
my wife had to go to the
doctor we did the same
thing, I wrote down what
she was feeling so the
doctor could understand.”
- David
“You have to start from
zero in a country where
the language is different,
where everything is totally
far removed from what
you knew before. It’s either
leave Colombia, or your
life.”
- Sara
Common Concerns chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave.,
St. Paul, MN 55104, www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture

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COMMON CONCERNS FOR SURVIVORS
OF TORTURE & WAR TRAUMA
Rage, Shame and other
Strong Emotions
Rage at perceived sources
of trauma
Rage at those exempted
from trauma
Guilt for having survived
and/or being in Canada
Shame, humiliation, stigma
associated with the trauma
Sense of profound
vulnerability
Rapid escalation
of distressed feelings
Cultural/Community
Adjustment Concerns
Lack of familiarity with
geography of new location,
foods, sights and sounds,
smells, holidays
and customs
Lack of familiarity with
Canadian health care
system, social services,
and educational institutions
Adjusting to Canada’s
weather
Dealing with tensions
within
the refugee community
or Colombian community
in Canada
Dealing with racism
Finding a satisfying,
supportive faith community
Difficulty adjusting to
Canadian culture, values
and lifestyle
(fast paced, busyness),
importance of being on
time to the minute,
materialism, individualism,
less time for leisure
and social relationships,
emphasis
on youth and change
rather than elders
and traditions.
“The hardest is the
language. You get used to
the customs and the food.
Next is the climate. The
climate is very difficult -
in Colombia cold stretches
last 8 days - not months.
And then the absence of
the family.”
- Pablo
“One of the most difficult
things that we have
experienced here was
when a family member
died in Colombia. We felt
impotent, we didn’t know
what to do. We saw the
distance that separates
us from our country.
We never imagined that
we would experience a
circumstance in which we
would want to leave but
not be able to leave.”
- Laura
Common Concerns chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave.,
St. Paul, MN 55104, www.cvt.org © Center for Victims of Torture

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FLASHBACKS
When memories from the past return
It is likely that members of the refugee family will experience flashbacks on occasion after arriving in
Canada. Because of your important role in supporting the refugee family it may be helpful for you to
understand flashbacks so that you can reassure the refugee family and give them guidance on how
to deal with them. The following paragraphs have been adapted from the STAR program material on
flashbacks. 19
In normal, daily life the rational brain (cerebral cortex) is largely in charge until something happens that
causes the instinctual and/or emotional parts of the brain (the limbic system and brain stem) to take
over. To get back into the rational brain, a person must do something to “pull themselves together” so
they can think clearly again and respond appropriately.
Colombian Refugees share about experiencing flashbacks:
“Memories - in the first year there is a lot
of fear. Those unpleasant experiences live
with you. When you go out on the street,
you see a car and you react mechanically
and you get frightened, but then you
remember that you are in Canada and
you calm down.”
- Filepe
“I was walking in a park when someone
spoke to me from behind, and it scared
me so badly that I felt like I was re-living
all of the experiences from Colombia. I
felt a lot of fear in that moment. I kept
walking but I felt like I was frozen and
couldn’t move. I looked behind and saw
the person and I didn’t recognize his face,
but then it turned out to be my friend.”
- Sara
“You try to not think about them again,
because it’s something really ugly, something
horrible. You ask God every day to forget those
things. Sometimes I wake up dreaming that I’m
there, I wake up afraid.”
- Roberto
“There are a lot of people here from the
town that I come from. There is an ex-town
councilor from my city. One day he called me.
I was not happy to receive his call. The first
thing that I thought was “if he lives here and
has my number...what is going on? what kind
of connections does he have?”
- Dora
“Most of my memories are unforgettable.
What do I do? - I keep the memories with me
wherever I go.”
- David
19. Adapted from Flashbacks and the Brain-Body Link. (2004) Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness (STAR), Eastern
Mennonite University, Virginia, USA. www.emu.edu/star

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After a traumatic incident, the process is the same, only stronger, and “pulling oneself together” may not
be easy to do. Depending on how much attention is paid to trauma healing, the effects of the trauma
may linger in unhealthy ways. (see previous pages as well as appendix #3). Or a person may be doing
all right until they bump up against something that is similar to what was present during the original
event (a trigger). It could be a smell, a particular kind of touch, hearing or seeing something that “triggers”
the trauma memory, or an emotion or feeling similar to the initially traumatic one (like loss of control or
shame). Suddenly, the instinctual and emotional brain (limbic system and brain stem) take over. A lot of
energy is present. It can feel like the trauma event is happening all over again. This is called a flashback.
Some trauma survivors may have flashbacks frequently, others just once or not at all, while others may
just experience a sense of disease, depression, or anxiety.
If members of the refugee family have been experiencing flashbacks, let them know that flashbacks
are a common part of the reaction to trauma. Explain that they are a normal response to an abnormal
situation just as bleeding is a normal response to getting cut, or pain is a normal response to a broken
leg. Reassure them that flashbacks are an indicator that their body is working properly to protect itself
- by remembering what happened, the body is on alert, ready in case it ever happens again. A key
component of trauma is loss of control. Let them know that there are things they can do to help. For
instance, it is often helpful to do some or all of the following after experiencing a flashback:
doing other forms of exercise, deep breathing, allowing their body to shake, talking to
someone safe, crying or dancing.
and feel.
blue.
EFFECTS OF REFUGEE TRAUMA ON THE FAMILY
The traumas and stresses inherent in the refugee journey can have a profound impact on the family unit.
Even after families arrive to safety in Canada, the effects of the traumatic situations they experienced
can and do affect family dynamics. In addition, the process of adapting to a new culture, community and
language can influence refugee family life. Family break up is commonly seen among Colombian refugee
families in Canada, just as it is among internally displaced families in Colombia. This is not necessarily
because these were unstable families to begin with, but more a result of the stress that surviving trauma,
undergoing major life transitions and adapting to a new context brings on the family structure. Being
aware of the potential challenges that refugee families will face upon resettlement will help your church
prepare to offer support, counsel and orientation to the family as they navigate the new dynamics and
challenges that greet them as they begin life in Canada.

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Research from the Centre for Victims of Torture identifies a variety of effects of refugee trauma commonly
seen in families. Fear, distrust and a sense of betrayal can often prevent refugee families from taking
advantage of local cultural and social support groups. As a result, isolation and social withdrawal are
commonly seen in refugee families. Some refugee parents may struggle with exhaustion, depression and
even post-traumatic stress disorder - all of this can have an effect on their ability to function as parents in
a new and foreign context. Parents may have low ability to tolerate negative emotions: a child’s cry may
remind a parent of times when they heard the screams of others. In situations where family members
have survived torture and other trauma, silence regarding these painful events is often common, leading
to “confusion, misunderstanding, multiple versions of what happened and unaddressed blame, shame,
anger, disappointment and sadness.” 20
Changes in roles in the family are also common once a refugee family arrives in Canada. For example,
parent-child role reversal often occurs as children learn English and acculturate more quickly than adults,
becoming both language and cultural translators for their parents. Parents adapt more slowly not only
because of their age, but because of trauma symptoms they continue to experience. While refugee
children assume adult roles prematurely, parents experience disempowerment, losing their traditional
role in the new context as they depend on their children.
A similar role reversal may occur between refugee spouses themselves: as refugee women become
wage earners and learn about women’s rights, they take on new roles in families that were often
previously male-dominated, due to cultural norms. Women may even find paid employment before
their husbands and become the sole income provider of the family for a time. This can cause feelings of
disempowerment or loss of purpose for the husband, as often he would have held the economic power
in the family before displacement, while the wife may have held more of a home-maker role.
As time goes on, refugee parents may place pressure - inadvertent or outright - on their children to be
immune to the family’s traumas and to compensate for the family’s losses through success in the new
country. Finally, the busyness of life in Canadian society means less time to spend together as a family,
and this can also have a debilitating effect on the family unity.
Colombian refugees in Canada report a variety of family issues. The interview excerpts below highlight
some of the recurring challenges faced by refugee families, the ways they have coped, as well as some
ideas that they have for supportive ways in which churches can respond:
Unfamiliar child care laws: Some refugees are confused by unfamiliar childcare laws and regulations.
Others find it problematic that legally they have limited parental control over their older children’s lives.
Some find themselves in situations where their teenage children come under the negative influence of
other refugee families that have lived in the community longer, and find it difficult to respond:
20. Healing the Hurt, Chapter 2 Torture Survivors: Family and Community Issues. (2005) Minneapolis, MN: The Centre for Victims
of Torture, www.ctv.org

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“Here there are many frightening things - there is a lot of liberty here, drugs, I see people smoking things in
the street, children have more freedom. When I first came I didn’t know there were so many rules - rules
about taking care of your children, not leaving them home alone.” - Dora
“We have had difficult experiences within our family, with my daughters who were very rebellious and their
involvement with another Colombian family that only wanted to harm them. We’ve had a lot of discord
within the home.” - Alex
Isolation: Colombian refugee families recognize the negative effects of isolation, but often find it hard
to break out of patterns of withdrawal alone:
“I think that when one is recently arrived, one tends to close oneself in a lot, one doesn’t go out. The church
could take people out of their apartment every once in a while to go for little outings or to get to know their
surroundings. The church could visit the family. Closing oneself in can produce conflicts within the family
and also cause accumulated stress.” - Sara
“When we first arrived we were afraid to go out. The people from church dropped us off in our apartment,
and after that it seemed like we didn’t see them for a long time. We didn’t start to go out until another friend
from Colombia arrived.” - Dora
Family unity: While acknowledging struggles, Colombian refugee families often report that family unity
is their main source of strength to carry on:
“Being together again, although it has brought some challenges, has also been our greatest support. We talk
together and remember things that we’ve lived through. We all share the same history, and so we also know
how to resolve our problems.” - Jose
“When the memories come I try to find refuge in my children and my mother.” - Sara
“Our children gave us satisfaction in Colombia. Here in Canada we find satisfaction in being united as a
family, finding a job - moving my family forward with my own effort.” - Felipe

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Many Colombian refugee families agreed that a strong sense of family unity is definitely an asset for
families in their process of adapting to and succeeding in their new life in Canada.
Remembering together: Some families choose to try to forget their past, while others find it helpful to
talk, as a family, about what they experienced:
“When people ask my children if Juan is their dad, they have to say he is their step dad. One day my daughter’s
professor asked her how her father died, and she couldn’t contain herself when she remembered - her teacher
said ‘it’s ok, it’s ok.’ The children have many memories, and me too. I don’t know if it’s good to remember
them or not....On several occasions I have remembered the past - speaking with my children sometimes we
make comparisons: ‘here it is like living in a paradise, here you sleep like a queen - in Colombia we all slept
together, I woke up all bruised from being kicked in the night; thinking about food - what a quantity we
have now and the hunger that we experienced before.’ In Colombia people didn’t want to rent to me because
I had so many children, while here the people don’t complain, the administrator says we are a nice family
and he likes us.” - Adriana
“There are moments when we think about our memories, but we always try not to remember them because
now we are in a new situation. We try not to talk about them with the children. But there are moments
when we think about how nice it would be to visit our land, but we know we can’t. My son said the other
day ‘how great it would be to go visit the farm,’ but we can’t do that. That is all part of our past now, it stays
behind. We are fighting to create something new here. We are located in the present.” - Nidia
The last quote perfectly illustrates a common yet unhealthy coping strategy - trying not to remember.
Avoiding remembering can actually exacerbate trauma cycles. The following section will go into more
details on how the church community can encourage the family to remember their past in ways that
promotes restoration and healing.
Support from sponsoring church: Colombian refugee families are aware of the impact that trauma and
witnessing the violence has had on them as a family. They yearn for and appreciate accompaniment from
the church to help them build strong and united families and overcome or avoid family breakdown:
“The church should be accessible for spiritual support. You go to the Sunday morning service but no one
asks you about what problems you have, you have to take the initiative to tell them. The church could
provide orientation for families. If you come from a country where violence is constantly present, daily,
then you come with that burden. There are people who carry that violence in their minds - they fight with
each other in their families. It seems like that kind of orientation - spiritual orientation, family counselling
- is missing. We have everything we need to eat, drink, dress and pay our rent thanks to the church. They
come to visit and bring us things, but they haven’t asked what is missing in the sense of these other kinds
of orientations. I’ve distanced myself a bit from the church because they didn’t offer me what I needed -
friendships, accompaniment, listening. I found company in other people. What I mean by orientations
is spaces where I could talk about my past, about difficult situations that I have lived, where I could get
counselling and advice about maintaining ourselves united and strong as a family in a new country and

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context, how to discipline and raise the children. Sometimes families come here with a series of problems
that they bring with them from Colombia and they need help to manage and heal their problems here. I
could go to the church every Sunday, but if my soul isn’t healthy, then it doesn’t help. It would be nice if the
church would organize regular activities and times for us to do things together.” - Felix
“You come from Colombia with many frustrations, with many problems in your head, and it is very hard
on you to feel alone. If the churches really want to accompany refugee families not only in the economic
sense, they could show the families that it is really a pleasure that they have arrived, that someone really
was waiting for them. Families come with many affective needs - we are very affected by our pasts and we
feel very lonely here - I got really sick, I had a lot of physical symptoms. The personal connection is very
important. In our church in Colombia there was a warmth and a closeness, there were many activities. Here
everything changes - everyone has their own life and they don’t seem to care if you are ok. The changes are
terrible, changes of environment, friends. You feel frustrated. There are changes of mood in the family. It is
important that the church pays attention to that. Families can sink down into problems, and that quickly
creates disunity in the family. You try to take care of things, but at the beginning it’s very hard. You don’t
know what you are up against. I’d recommend to churches forming friendships, paying attention to the
affective and emotional needs of the families, making sure that have someone to talk to, people who will
listen to them and offer genuine friendships. It would be interesting if the churches wouldn’t only focus on
the economic part, but also something more profound.” - Dora
“It is important to accompany the family, visit them once a week, help them integrate, give them counsel and
advice, always be attentive to them and don’t forget about the spiritual aspect. I would advise churches to
counsel families on how to maintain family unity. Some families begin to receive money and they begin to
believe they are big, independent people, they become self-sufficient if they don’t know the word of God. The
children don’t consult with their parents, they go out and get into bad habits. Churches could give counsel
about money management - there are some families where the husband controls the money and the wife
doesn’t have access, and this causes problems. I’ve seen many cases. There are many divorces in Colombian
families, and much of it has to do with money management.” - Laura

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Culturally, Canadians are not prone to interfering with one another’s private lives, and church communities
may wonder how they will know what kinds of issues their refugee family is facing, as these issues
may be kept well hidden until they become too large to hide or too late to remedy. Like any one else,
Colombian refugee families won’t find it easy to talk about family problems. Building trusting relationships
and sharing mutual vulnerability is key. Once there is trust, and once the refugee family realizes they are
not alone in having family challenges, conversations about what kind of help the family needs to stay
strong will become much easier.
As sponsored refugees, Colombians are conscious that the church is already giving them everything, and may
be embarrassed to ask for more help such as family counselling, an orientation to family law or simply that
the church coordinate events to help the family get out of the house. Throughout the sponsorship, find ways
to inquire sensitively and, if need be, indirectly to the family about how they are doing, and how as church
you can support them. Refugee families are deeply appreciative of the support that church community
provides in maintaining and strengthening family unity during this challenging time in their lives.
RETURNING TO “NORMAL” AFTER TRAUMATIC EVENTS
Stages of Recovery
Recovering from traumatic experiences is a process that each survivor will go through in their own time
and in their own way. While each refugee will follow their own path to healing, at their own speed, in
general the process of recovering from trauma includes three stages: 21
Sponsoring churches play a key role in each of these three stages, first of all by opening their community
to the fleeing family as a place of safety and refuge, thereby allowing the family to leave behind them
years of instability and flight. When Colombian refugees were asked, pre-departure, what they most
anticipated about life in Canada, their overwhelming response was “safety and stability - not having to run
anymore.” The knowledge that that safety and stability will be established within the context of a church
that has been waiting for them and that actually anticipates their arrival is of great meaning to Colombian
refugees. Secondly, the church is an ideal setting for refugees to go through the stage of remembrance
and mourning, since they may not have done so yet. Having a community of faith that creates safe
spaces for the refugee family to share their memories and release their burdens is truly a life-giving gift.
Finally, the support, encouragement friendships and guidance that the church provides is integral to
helping the refugee connect with their new society, rebuild their lives, form new positive identities and
create hope for new futures.
21. Herman, J. (1992) Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political terror. New York, NY: Basic
Books

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TALKING ABOUT TRAUMA
Remembrance and Mourning
Talking to refugees about traumatic experiences from their home country may seem like a delicate and
complicated issue, and rightly so. Conversations about past traumas have the potential to heal - or to
re-traumatize.
The church community has great potential to become a healing sanctuary, a space for refugees to share
their stories in their own time. In a refugee’s own words:
“We were able to share our story with the church and not only are we grateful for this, but we
were grateful that the people from the church felt solidarity with our suffering.” - José
In fact, for refugees, talking about their past is an important part of the second stage in recovery from
trauma, remembrance and mourning. In the remembrance and mourning stage the refugee needs
to come to terms with what happened to them and how it has affected their life. By listening to and
talking with the refugees about their losses the church community can provide a safe and supportive
environment for the family as they go through this stage.
It is generally accepted that being able to talk about painful experiences such as traumatic events is
part of the path to healing. The Colombian refugees interviewed in the process of making this guide
overwhelmingly agreed that having someone to talk to about their past is or would be important to them
in their journey of recovery from trauma. Some of their comments can be found in the side bars on the
following pages. You don’t have to be a trained psychologist or counsellor to listen to refugees tell their
stories and respond in a way that promotes healing and recovery.
Finding the balance between when and how to talk about trauma and when to leave the topic alone
will be a process unique to each refugee and their sponsoring church. It is good to keep in mind that
while talking about traumatic experiences in a healing way is important, talking about it too much, to the
extent that the conversations become a vicious cycle victimizing the survivor, is not desirable. Making
an intentional effort to know the refugee’s story and to validate their suffering and strength is a great
gift. Before approaching the topic of trauma, it is essential that sincere, trusting and mutual relationships
have been built between the refugee family and the church members that participate in conversations
about trauma. Without this, the experience of talking about past trauma could put the refugee at risk of
re-traumatization.
Telling their story will take time. While the refugee may yearn to unburden themselves by talking about
their past, they will also need time to build trust with you and gather the courage they know it will take
to re-live the painful moments from their past. Their story may come out in bits and pieces, over time,
as they feel ready to share different parts with you. Never put them on the spot or force the refugee
family to tell their story. Open opportunities for the family to share their story, but be sensitive to whether
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they need. When your questions lead to stilted
answers, it is better not to push farther.
It is probable that conversations about the refugee
family’s past will occur spontaneously, whenever
the refugee family feels ready or feels the need
to share. It is likely that the refugee may feel
most comfortable, at least initially, talking about
their past in the security of their home and in the
presence of one or two trusted people. Once they
begin to trust you with their story, you may be
able to start exploring their interest in sharing with
others in the church as well. Some families may
be very interested in sharing their stories with a
wider audience, while others may prefer not to.
If you sense an interest in sharing their story more
widely, find out what kind of setting in which they
would feel most comfortable. Would they prefer
to share with a small group? Or would they like to
share their story with a larger audience, perhaps
as special speakers at a church event? What
about through art, music, writing or drama? Some
refugees may be glad to share their story openly
and publicly, others may wish for a more intimate
setting, perhaps in their home. If the church is
interested in having the refugee family share their
story with a group, why not consider a story-circle,
in which not only the refugee family shares their
story, but also other members of the group share
stories of difficult experiences they have lived in
the past as well? This kind of exercise creates a
special sense of unity while humanizing all of the
stories and also assuring the refugees that they
are not alone.
Because the refugee family likely feels so indebted
to the church, they may feel obliged to accept any
invitation to speak about their past that the church
extends. With the best of intentions, churches can
unintentionally force the refugee family to revisit
their past before they are ready, and thus cause
“It’s very important that churches
keep in mind that the families need to
talk. It’s good for the church to provide
opportunities for the families to tell their
stories, to talk about their experiences in
Colombia. I think that churches might
think that people want to forget. But for
us, every time we were invited out for a
meal we were asked about our experience.
Talking about our past helped. In our
church there were ten couples that spoke
Spanish, German and English. We always
laughed together, sometimes they made
mistakes and translated into German
rather than English. They compared their
experience of being refugees as well. One
man’s entire family had been killed when
he was a little boy. He says he saw how
they took his father and he never saw him
again. They talk about the forced work and
the concentration camps. They say that
they see the reflection of what they lived in
their era in us.”
- Pablo
“It would be very good to be able to talk
to people we trust in, so that they could
help us. Possibly it would let us unload or
unburden ourselves a little, feel some peace.
Maybe the other person could understand
a bit more why one is here, the problems
that we had. The problem is the language
barrier.”
- Dora
“Here in the church they haven’t asked me,
but when they ask me I am willing to talk.
I think that it would be beneficial for me to
talk to people from my church, to help me
feel more free. Sometimes, from thinking so
much, you feel bad. You need to unburden
yourself, talk about what happened.”
- Sara

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significant stress to the family. When inviting the refugee family to tell their story to a larger group it could be
a good idea to offer alternatives such as another time or a different setting. That way the family will have a
comfortable “out” if they are not ready to share their story in the setting you propose. When they are ready
to share their story, make sure you give them enough time - 15 minutes probably won’t be enough.
While the telling of their story holds many benefits for the listener, including elements of awareness
raising and advocacy, remember that the main reason, at least at first, is that of healing for the refugee
family. Always let the family know that their comfort and their sense of well-being is what is most
important to you.
When opportunities arise to talk with the refugee family about their past and the traumatic experiences
they survived, it may be helpful to remind yourself of some of the following pointers: 22
Before the Conversation: To prepare yourself for conversations with the refugee family about difficult
experiences from their past, it will be useful for you to learn as much as you can about their country and
culture. The more you are aware of the history and context of their country as well as important elements
of their culture and even the process of acculturation during resettlement, the more you will be able to
understand the refugee’s experiences. Use different sources to learn as much as you can - a good place
to begin could be this resource material and the websites listed in the resource sections, but don’t forget
the best resource - the refugee family itself. Conversations about the good things from home - culture,
traditions, the importance of family, faith, community - will be welcomed and are an important balance
to conversations about the difficulties they endured.
“We had a meeting with the church, we sat
in a circle. They made us remember our past,
why we left Colombia. For me it was very
difficult to speak about it. I am so happy here,
I want to forget everything. It was really hard
for me. When I got home afterwards I felt like
my head exploded I had such a bad headache.
But it is good to talk. It was very good because
the church wanted to get to know us more,
know more about our story. The people who
listened to my story are really supportive to us
and are very affectionate to my children.”
- Adriana
Before entering into conversations about trauma,
be sure that you spend time learning about
who the refugees were before their problems
began. Learning about their lives, their roles
in their communities, their occupations, what
they loved to do and what was important to
them is valuable for several reasons: this allows
the refugees to reflect and reconnect with their
past, recognizing and valuing where they have
come from and who they are, as well as letting
you know more about them as people - not
just refugees. These kinds of conversations help
build trust and forge lasting relationships, and
they lay the groundwork for later conversations
about traumatic experiences.
22. Adapted from New Neighbours Hidden Scars, chapter 3 Healing the Hurt, by Evelyn C. Lennon, MSA, MA. (2005) Minneapolis,
MN: The Centre for Victims of Torture, www.ctv.org,

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It is also useful to find out what the refugee family would do to heal from painful experiences in their
home country. Would they seek pastoral accompaniment, would they wish to use music, art or writing,
would they want to talk and pray with a friend? It is fine to ask the family if they would like to talk about
what brought them to Canada as refugees. Let them know that even if they are not ready to talk at the
moment, that you would be honoured to listen to them if or when they do want to talk about it.
During the Conversation: At the beginning of a conversation about the refugee family’s past, be sure to
let them know what you can do for them - for example, unless you are a trained counsellor, psychologist
or social worker, some things that you can offer are a listening ear, privacy and confidentiality. It is good
to tell the refugee what they can expect from you. You can also let them know that if they feel like they
need more support than you can give, you would be happy to help them find the right person to talk
to. The best support the church can offer is community, however in special cases referral to a counsellor
may be appropriate.
Make sure that the control over the conversation is in the refugee’s hands. For example, let them know
that, should you ask a question that they are not comfortable answering, they should feel free not to
answer. Ensure that you always provide a comfortable way out of answering questions. This will provide a
sense of empowerment to the refugee, and will allow them to talk about what they need to talk about.
“When a person is
recently arrived,
you talk a lot about
your experiences in
Colombia. But later on
you want to leave all
that behind. Life here is
very calm and you want
to forget what happened
in Colombia...You get
tired of repeating and
repeating the negative,
the ugly experiences that
you lived through.”
- Pablo
“The church committee
wanted to know about us.
For us, it was really difficult
to revisit those memories.
We cried. They prayed for
us, for each family. The
girl who was translating
cried too. There were a lot
of emotions. Later when
I see the people from the
committee at church I
feel embarrassed, because
now they know about my
problems. It was recent. It
is like returning to the past.
It would have been good for
the church to get to know us
a bit more first.”
- Roberto
“I have this idea that one day
I’d like to sit down and write a
book about my life. Yes, I’d like
to do that. It would be good to
air out many things from my life,
and maybe then I wouldn’t see
them with so much pain. It seems
important to me to talk about
past experiences - everyone has a
different life story.”
- Dora
“Those memories come to us
when we see the tranquility that
there is here - we didn’t have that
in Colombia. With all the good
that has happened to us here, the
bad memories go. With time that
fear and the trauma that you have
goes away.”
- Jorge

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Refugees are trauma survivors, not just victims. As you converse with the refugee family about their
experiences, think of them as survivors. Verbally affirm their strengths (courage, resiliency, faith) rather
than allowing yourself to pity them as victims. Yes, they have gone through experiences that are much
more traumatic than what the average person experiences in a lifetime, however they are also typical
people just like yourself, with great strength, determination and abilities.
Remind yourself that simply listening may be one of the greatest and most healing gifts that you can
offer a refugee when they are ready to share about their past. Often the best response is to acknowledge
their pain and their strength and express your thankfulness and sense of honour at being entrusted with
their story. Assure them that you will always be willing to listen anytime they want to talk again.
Because of the effects that extreme trauma has on memory, don’t be surprised if the refugee’s story
doesn’t come out in chronological order, if there seem to be gaps in the story, or if you feel as though the
refugee presents different “versions” of the story at different times. Most trauma survivors can’t present
precise accounts of what happened, and many remember events differently on different occasions. The
fact that there may appear to be inconsistencies in their story is not reason to be suspicious of its truth. It
is perfectly normal that survivors of war crimes - considered by many to be unspeakable acts - may not
be able to remember or put into words everything that has happened to them.
As the conversation develops, check with the refugee to find out how they are feeling. Allow breaks and
slow down the conversation if it is getting overly accelerated. Offering something to drink can be a good
way to pause or slow down.
Let the refugee know that you have some understanding of the history and context of their country, of
the effects of war and of the experience of refuge. Be prepared to help put the refugee’s problems into
their historical and political context. Without justifying anything that they have experienced, explain to
them that human rights violations such as displacements, threats, torture and killings are strategic and
intentional political tools that are carried out with the goal of obtaining power and resources.
Admitting one’s problems can bring feelings of shame and even guilt to the refugee. If you can, use
pamphlets or other information in Spanish to help the refugee understand that their problems are
normal, common and expected responses to unnatural situations, and that they are temporary and
solvable. Let the refugee know that seeking help and treatment is not only normal, but something that
they deserve. Show your support in helping them find the right person to talk to, be it a spiritual leader,
counsellor, other people who have had similar experiences or even a traditional healer.
After the Conversation: As the conversation about traumatic past events comes to a close, remember
to allow time for closure, since the conversation may have been distressing for the refugee, potentially
having re-opened old wounds. Since the refugee will be alone with their thoughts and memories after
you leave, it is important to find ways to wind down a conversation about trauma, rather than leaving
the conversation at a place where it was focused on the trauma. Talk about the survivor’s strengths,
and perhaps take some time to talk about regular topics, such as the day’s activities. Before ending the

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conversation, make a plan with the refugee for self care - what will they do to help relax and feel better
after you leave? Make a plan for yourself as well.
Remember to take care of yourself during and after a conversation about traumatic events. Listening to
the pain of others can often have an impact on oneself. Just as you might realize that the refugee needs
access to a professional counsellor at some point, be sure that you also have access to someone to talk
to, such as a pastor or counsellor, if you realize that you are carrying the weight of the refugee’s story
with you long after the conversation. It is normal and healthy to “debrief” after listening to the traumatic
experiences of others, and this can be done in ways that respect the confidentiality of the person whose
story you heard while helping ease the burden that you may be feeling.
WHAT SURVIVORS WANT TO SAY TO CLERGY:
A Collection of Feelings Expressed by Survivors of Trauma
Originally titled What Victims Want to Say to Clergy, the following section was compiled after the Oklahoma
City bombings. 23 Relatives of the victims expressed their feelings and explained what kind of responses
they would appreciate receiving from pastoral support figures. Their insights and wisdom as survivors
of trauma are both applicable and valuable for church communities that support survivors of refugee
trauma in their path to healing.
Don’t Explain: As deeply as I cry out “Why?” I know there is no rational explanation. My “Why?” is
more a longing for God to hold me in His arms and give me some comfort than it is a question I want
answered. I don’t want you to try to give me answers. What has happened is absurd. It is surely not as
God intended life to be. It doesn’t make sense. God didn’t cause it. It could not have been God’s will.
Therefore, let us together try to explain the cause of the tragedy as factually and honestly as possible. I
want God and you, as my spiritual leader, to be companions who will stand with me in my longing, not
sources of explanation.
Don’t take away my reality: My pain seems unbearable to me and yet, in light of what has happened,
it feels right that I should be in pain. I know it is uncomfortable for you. I know you want to take it away.
But you can’t, so please don’t try. The pain is a sign to me of how much I have loved and how much I
have lost. If I have doubts, if I am angry, understand that these are normal reactions to a very abnormal
situation. I will not always be like this, but I am now. These are my feelings. Please respect them.
Help me deal with forgiveness with integrity: Understand that if my faith is important to me, I will
struggle with the issue of forgiveness. I will remember all the times I’ve been told that I must forgive. And
yet, something deep within me resists forgiving someone who has not even said, “I am sorry.”
23. Dr. Richard P. Lord, Courtesy of Colonel Jack O’Brian Poe, D. Min, Chief of Chaplains, Oklahoma City Police Department. What
Victims Want to Say to Clergy. (2004) From the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience Program (STAR), Eastern
Mennonite University, Virginia, USA. www.emu.edu/star

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I wonder if I am the appropriate one to forgive the person who harmed or injured someone I love. I don’t
feel obligated to forgive; I don’t even feel that I have the right to forgive in these circumstances. But yet,
I feel uncomfortable in my resistance to forgive.
I am also troubled by the difference between forgiving and forgetting. I desperately want my loved one
who has been killed or injured to be remembered. I resist anything that threatens the memory of one
who has died. Therefore, even if I do decide at some point that I can honestly and with integrity offer
forgiveness, please don’t ask me to forget what happened. It is impossible to forget, and, to me, it is very
undesirable as well. Even Jesus said, “Remember me” when he was dying on the cross.
Understand that forgiveness is far more than just saying three words, “I forgive you.” If I say the words,
they must be true. I must speak them from the depths of my very soul with absolute integrity. Don’t push
me to say the words just to satisfy you. I can only say them if I come to really mean them.
Stay close: Just as a one year old child learns to walk with someone close by to steady him when he
stumbles, stay close enough so I can reach out and steady myself on you when I need to. Understand
my need to grieve, my need to withdraw, my need to agonize, but remind me that you’re there to lean
on when I want to share my pain.
Remember me...for a long time: This loss will always be a part of me. I’ll need to talk about it for years
to come. Most people will be tired of hearing about it after a period of time. Be the person who will invite
me to share my feelings about this after others have moved on to other concerns. If my loved one has
died, mention his or her name from time to time and let us remember together.
Don’t be frightened of my anger: Anger isn’t nice to be around. But it is part of what I’m feeling now,
and I need to be honest about it. I won’t hurt myself or anybody else. I know my anger doesn’t threaten
God. People got angry in the Bible. Even God got angry at certain things. The one to worry about is the
one who has experienced violence but hasn’t become angry.
Listen to my doubt: You stand for faith, and I want you to, but listen to my doubts so you can hear the pain
they express. Like anger, doubt is not pleasant to be around, so people will want to talk me out of it. But for
right now, let me express the questions which are measured by the depth of the loss I feel. If I can not doubt,
my faith will have no meaning. It is only as I move through doubt that a more meaningful faith will develop.
Be patient: My progress will not be steady. I’ll slip back just when everyone thinks I’m doing so well. Be
one to whom, on occasion, I can reveal my weakness and regression. Let me be weak around you and not
always strong. I’ll make it, but it will take much longer than most people think. I’ll need your patience.
Remind me this isn’t all there is to life: My pain and my questions consume me. Remind me there
is more to life than my understanding and my feelings. Speak the word “God” not to dull my pain but to
affirm life. I don’t want God as an aspirin but as a companion who shares my journey. Stay beside me
and remind me of that Eternal Presence which can penetrate even my grief.

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RECONNECTION
Rebuilding lives and futures and recreating meaning in life: As mentioned at the beginning of
this chapter, there are three key elements in the process of returning to equilibrium after surviving a
traumatic event: establishing safety and stabilization, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection.
This section will take a closer look at ways the the church can support the refugee family in their process
of reconnection - rebuilding their lives and future. What follows is a series of ideas for activities that
the church can do with the refugee family or encourage the family to do themselves. The suggestions
have been clustered into different topics based on aspects of life that have been found to be helpful
for refugees as they reconnect and rebuild their lives. 24 In order for the refugee family to continue on
the path to integration rather than marginalization (see the Phases of Refugee Adjustment, p 30), it is
important for the church to support the family in at least some of these ways shortly after their arrival in
Canada. Explore different options to find out which ones the family responds to - just because a certain
suggestion or activity doesn’t work for the family doesn’t mean they don’t want to connect.
Building and sustaining relationships: Forming and maintaining healthy relationships with others is
essential to restoring dignity, value and meaning to a refugee’s life. The church community can and does
play an invaluable role in helping refugees create and maintain healthy social connections. The formation
of sincere friendships between members of the congregation and the refugee family may well be the
most restorative gift that the church can offer the refugee family. The words of a Colombian refugee
demonstrate how essential and life-giving relationships with sponsors are:
“Listen to us, accompany us, build relationships, know how we are doing, how we feel, greet us,
give us hugs. Help us to feel welcomed, as though we are at home.” - Ana
24. The suggestions in section have been adapted from Helping Refugee Trauma Survivors in the Primary Care Setting, by David R.
Johnson, MD, MPH, (2005) Minneapolis, MN: Centre for Victims of Torture, www.ctv.org

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Colombian Refugees share their
experiences in recovering from trauma
and finding meaning:
“Doing my job as a newscaster and
journalist with enormous quality, with
up-to-date details, and expressing myself
in a positive and understandable way
gave me great satisfaction in Colombia.
I was happy because the people admired
and appreciated me. I had a lot of great
friendships and I was known all over the
country. Here in Canada I participate in
a Vallenato Orchestra. I distract myself
a bit, meet up with other people, lose
myself in the music. I play accordion
even though I never played it before -
but I can do it! I’m also the referee for
a Latin American football league. It’s a
good way to get recreation. Next year
I’m going to be secretary for the league to
help them with organization, statistics,
so they can see how the games are going
- who is the best player, who is winning.
Other things that help me feel satisfied
are my work, my studies, and doing
everything that I do to my very best.”
- Carlos
“First of all it is one’s family that makes
you feel alive, that supports you and
gives you ideas. Second are your friends,
and third is being able to study and move
ahead with life.I don’t think I’ve gotten to
the stage of feeling satisfaction in my life
in Canada yet. First of all we are hoping
to find satisfaction in being able to speak
English - to feel much better and be able
to go out. Later we would like to enter
university and finish our studies, and
later be able to have a good job and for
my family to be independent.”
- Jorge
Some ideas that have worked well for building these
relationships include organizing different families from
the church who will be willing to invite the family over
for dinner or take them on outings around town and
celebrate birthdays, important holidays and other
special occasions together. Ensure that refugee youth
are included in church youth group activities and plug
the refugee parents into a weekly care group, small
group or Bible study. Showing a genuine interest in the
refugee family as people (not victims) and friends is
often all it takes to construct relationships that are lifegiving
on both sides, and could carry on long after the
sponsorship is over.
Other ideas for forming social connections include
helping the refugee family connect with local cultural
organizations, community support groups, refugee
organizations or other community groups such as
community or church sports teams or community music
or dance groups.
Keep in mind that Colombian refugees may not always
want relationships with other Colombians. Before
you arrange for the refugee family to meet other
Colombians in your community that they don’t have a
prior relationship with, check in with the family to find
out how they feel about this. Because of the complex
nature of the armed conflict, victims of different groups
may look at one another with suspicion - Colombian
refugees will not automatically trust one another. Many
Colombian refugees in Canada end up feeling more
comfortable and building supportive relationships with
people from other Latin American countries rather than
with other Colombians.
Clearly, challenges will be present, the obvious ones
being language and cultural differences. Even though
a language barrier may exist, the refugee family will
feel loved and appreciated by the efforts the church
makes to include them, even when sign language
may be the only means of communication at first. An
ongoing challenge that refugees face in building social

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“In Colombia, helping people, working in the children’s
feeding centre, brought meaning to my life. The women’s
group that I helped lead was important for me. I don’t
believe that I have found satisfaction in my life in Canada
yet. There isn’t really anything that fills me spiritually.
Even though I have stability, the most important things
are not the material things. The most important is to be
able to go and help others. To discover the stories of those
women’s lives. I think that until I know English I may
not find satisfaction in my life here...no. I would like to
support a community where I could be useful. Here in
the church they have spoken about volunteer work that
people do in India...there have been times when I have
said to my self ‘if God permits me, I would like to do
voluntary work.’ It would be a very important experience,
to meet with people who need you.”
- Dora
“I’d like to create an organization in
Canada that would think about the people
that are being victimized in Colombia. I’m
not sure how or even what the Canadian
laws are and if I’d be allowed to do
something like that. But it’s something I’m
thinking about.”
- David
“I feel happy when I’m in church. On
Sundays when I’m at church - I don’t
understand the English yet - but when
they worship God, I feel really happy
during the worship. I feel happy in the
church because I have many friends there.
I go to a Spanish Bible Study for an hour
before the service and I feel happy there.”
- Adriana
“The church picks up the youth every
wednesday for a youth activity - it’s been
really good for me, it has helped me to be
less shy and to relate to others.”
- Cecilia
connections includes the sense of isolation that they will feel in Canada. Many Colombian refugees may
have lived with extended family members before displacement, however in Canada they are separated
from remaining family; some may have even been killed. Cold weather, transportation problems and
Canadian individualistic culture also present challenges for forming relationships. Other challenges that
may be harder to overcome are more subtle: refugees’ trust in other human beings has often been
eroded by their past experiences. Trusting again, especially strangers, may be a frightening leap of faith
for many refugees. Nonetheless, Colombian refugees that are sponsored by a church community often
come with a sense of confidence that they will be able to trust in the church community, and this is a gift
for both the church and the refugee family as they set out constructing friendships together.
Rediscovering innate strength and resiliency: Refugees are incredibly strong people, having
protected their families and navigated through foreign systems or countries on their path to refuge.
Nonetheless, in the midst of the burden of their loss they may forget how strong and resilient they
actually are. Feelings of guilt regarding their inability to prevent what has happened to them along with
the humiliation and setbacks they suffer in adjusting to a new and confusing cultural context can create
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can be an important step in the refugee’s path to integrating and recovering hope for the future. When
you talk to the refugee, be it about their past, the present or their hopes and dreams, help them to see
how strong and competent they really were - and still are. Affirm their resiliency and encourage them
to reflect on their strengths and past achievements. Focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses
promotes healing, and is also a good way for you to learn about the refugee’s life before the trauma.
Faith and Spirituality: Colombian refugees and displaced people repeatedly attribute their survival and
ability to carry on despite all odds to their faith in God and divine protection. Faith and spiritual practices
have been found to be very meaningful for trauma survivors as they cope with trauma symptoms and
journey towards restoration. As a church, you have so much to offer in this area. Participating in services,
small groups, Bible studies, prayer meetings, worshiping together and having personal visits with pastors
or church ministry leaders can be life-giving for the refugee as they process their trauma and the stresses
of fitting into a new world. Intentionally invite members of the refugee family to participate in any of
the above-mentioned activities. If the refugee family has a church background and expresses that they
would feel comfortable, take time to pray with the refugee family. Even when the language barrier still
exists, the experience of praying together will likely be welcomed and greatly appreciated by the family.
Perhaps you could find out if devotional material or books or recordings on themes related to faith and
spirituality are available in Spanish in the local library or in church libraries in your community and could
be lent to the refugee family.
Finding new meaning in life: Refugees who have suffered the traumas of the loss of their livelihood,
home, family members, culture and country may often experience a loss of meaning in life. The
overwhelming task of fitting in to a new society, forming a new identity, and coping with the fact that
they will not likely be able to practice their same profession or trade as before can add to their sense
of hopelessness. In the face of these challenges, the church community can be an important source of
support to the refugee family, helping them find ways to recreate meaning in their lives. Churches are
ideal locations from which refugees can participate in purpose-giving activities such as volunteerism,
political advocacy, giving talks on their experiences or helping to ease the suffering of others. These
activities can all help trauma survivors rebuild a sense of purpose in life.
Helping others: Studies have shown that helping others has a distinct healing effect on oneself. In his
book The Healing Power of Doing Good 25 Allen Luks explains the results of his studies on the reciprocal
relationship between helping others and good health. Some of his most significant findings include the
following:
the effects of even serious psychological and physical diseases and disorders.
25. Luks, A., (2001) The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. New York, NY:
iUniverse. http://allanluks.com/home, http://www.melbabenson.com/articles_files/Healing%20Power%20of%20Doing%20
Good.pdf,

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“helper’s high” after performing a kind act
involves physical sensations
and the release of the body’s natural
painkillers, endorphins. The initial rush is
followed by a longer period of calm and
improved emotional well-being.
return for hours or even days whenever the
helping act is remembered.
after performing kind acts. Helping others
reverses feelings of depression, supplies
social contact and reduces feelings of
hostility and isolation that can cause stress,
overeating, ulcers etc.
self-worth and emotional resilience and
vigour and can reduce the unhealthy
senses of isolation, depression and
helplessness.
Studies, employment and hobbies: For their first year in Canada, most refugees will be involved in
language study and to some extent, their first experience in the Canadian workplace. For some survivors
of refugee trauma, meeting the demands of study and or work may be difficult, however both activities
help add structure to daily life. Although occasionally it might be necessary for a recently arrived refugee to
refrain from both study and work in order to recover from trauma or unexpected psychological setbacks,
in most cases extended disability status is usually not helpful for recovery from trauma. Without a routine,
refugees, like the rest of us, can begin to feel disconnected from the world and may find themselves
with too much time on their hands for dwelling on their grief. The challenge of being without a routine is
something that churches can help their refugee family avoid by ensuring that they get involved in language
studies and guiding them in their search for employment at appropriate stages of the sponsorship.
During the summer months, when free time tends to be ample for newly arrived refugees, churches
can ensure that the refugee family is included in any summer church activities such as children’s clubs,
church camp or picnics as well as organizing families in the church to extend invitations to the refugee
family for special outings or events such as local festivals or fairs. Hobbies can also provide survivors with
a sense of purpose in life and offer opportunities for socialization. If you become aware of hobbies that
the refugee has enjoyed in the past, such as sewing, sketching or playing an instrument, help them find
the tools and supplies they need to be able to continue on with their hobby in Canada. Creative activities
such as painting, drawing, writing, music or poetry can help the refugee not only to find new purpose but
also to express feelings and process past experiences. Your church refugee support group can find out if
the refugee you have sponsored would be interested in any of these activities, and help get started.

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Planning for the future: One of the most important aspects of healing from trauma involves survivors
shifting their attention from the traumatic events to a focus on the present and planning for the future. As
your relationship with the refugee family deepens, discover what dreams and goals they have, both for
the short term and the long term. If they are unable to formulate goals, spend some time talking together
and helping them discover their hopes and goals. Help them to find a balance between realistic goals
and not becoming overwhelmed or discouraged by goals that take a longer time to reach. As a church
you can play an integral role in encouraging and supporting members of the refugee family to work
towards their goals, whether they are small goals, like getting a guitar and bringing music back into their
life, or larger goals such as getting a job or writing their life story. As refugees identify and work towards
their goals a sense of meaning and control over their life will return.
Physical exercise: For many Colombian refugees, physical exercise was part of daily life: physical labour
such as farm work, construction or walking many kilometers a day would have been commonplace,
especially for refugees from rural settings. Even in Colombia’s cities many displaced people find themselves
walking or biking long distances since they can’t afford to pay for public transportation. In Canadian cities,
physical exertion is not necessarily part of daily life, and as a result refugees in Canada often live a rather
sedentary life compared to the amount of physical activity in which they had previously engaged. As the
refugee’s support group, you can help your refugee family learn about the physical and mental benefits
of intentionally taking daily exercise: let them know that refugee trauma survivors who are physically
active have reported that they sleep better, have more energy, enjoy better moods and an overall sense
of wellbeing. The refugee family will likely need your help and encouragement to discover ways to stay
physically active in their new environment. Consider having different families from the church invite the
refugee family to accompany them as they participate in different physical activities: swimming at the
local pool, using the local gym, participating in different classes or activities at the community recreation
center. Perhaps you could help connect members of the refugee family with community sports groups
such as soccer teams. Invite them to join you on walks or jogs in local parks.
Find different ways to relax: It sounds like common sense that relaxing can help trauma survivors
cope with trauma symptoms; however, we all sometimes need to be reminded to take time to relax. It
may be helpful for you to talk to the refugee family about this and help them find ways to intentionally
relax. There are many different, simple activities that you could suggest to help promote relaxation:
drinking tea, listening to calming music or dancing to latin music, reading a book, taking walks, gardening,
caring for a pet, taking a warm bath, lighting candles, getting a massage or practicing meditative prayer
such as centering prayer, to name only a few.
Just as it is important for each of us to know what helps us relax (and most likely we do know), it is
useful for the members of the refugee family to find out what they can do to relax. It is likely that the
members of the refugee family know what they like to do to relax - they surely found ways to relax before
their refugee journey began. However, they may need your encouragement to get started again, or to
discover new ways that they can relax and release new tensions here in Canada. Have someone from
the refugee support group talk to the family about ways in which they would like to relax: find out what
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If they need any supplies (such as relaxing music, tea, latin music, books in their language), find ways
to connect them with what they need. If they are interested in learning about centering prayer or other
calming prayer techniques as a way to relax, perhaps you could find someone from church with a prayer
ministry who would be willing to guide and accompany them, at least to begin.
Other alternatives include yoga and tai chi, which both promote muscle relaxation. Community centres
often offer classes in these activities, and may also offer “relaxation sessions” that use guided imagery,
breathing exercises and gentle touch. If anyone from your church already participates in any of these
classes, be sure to invite members from the refugee family along. If not, it would still be worthwhile
to find out what is available and whether the refugee family would be interested. Another possibility is
providing the family with relaxation CDs, which are often available through health care providers or even
the local library.
As refugees adjust to life in Canada they will regularly encounter new and stressful situations. At the same
time, they are dealing with painful memories and anxieties from their past. It may be encouraging for the
refugee family to know that by intentionally taking time daily, or as often as possible, to do something
relaxing, they can actually reduce their stress and begin to feel a sense of balance and wellbeing again.
Be aware of what doesn’t help: Sometimes refugees find themselves, inadvertently or intentionally,
in situations that negatively affect their ability to heal from trauma and reconstruct their lives in Canada.
Certain challenges are inevitable. For example, anniversaries of traumatic incidents such as dates of forced
displacements, attempts against their lives or deaths of family members are often accompanied by a surge
of trauma symptoms. Similarly, anything that reminds a refugee of a distressing memory from their past -
an object, a face or voice that is similar to that of someone who hurt them, being asked questions by an
authority figure, or even seeing a motorcycle or car of a certain color - can bring on the feelings and reactions
they had when the original event occurred. While it is understandable that the Colombian refugees may
want to follow the news coverage of their home country as much as possible, is is also possible that the
events they watch on TV could cause upsetting reminders of their own past. While the church can’t prevent
any of these situations from arising, it is important for the church refugee committee to be aware of the
potential impacts of these different trauma reminders, and to be there for the family to comfort them and
to let them know that what is happening to them is normal. See the section on flashbacks (p 63) for more
details and information to help the refugee understand what they are experiencing.
Other obstacles that the refugee may face in their journey to restoration and rebuilding their lives are avoidable.
For instance, regularly watching violent TV programs or movies could reactivate traumatic memories. Since is
possible that the refugee family may not be aware of the impact that seeing violence on TV could have on
them, it could be worth while to encourage them to avoid such programs, explaining why.
Occasionally refugee trauma survivors, even those sponsored by churches, will turn to alcohol and
drugs as a mechanism to cope with issues such as sleep problems, anxiety, recurrent painful memories
or hopelessness. Obviously, alcohol and drug dependency will have a harmful long term impact on
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integration. Nonetheless, if a refugee has turned to alcohol and drugs, it is likely because that option
seemed helpful at the time.
Another unhealthy coping strategy that is often employed by people who have experienced refugee
trauma is that of intentional isolation. After being subjected to such painful experiences by other human
beings, the ability to trust and to open up to social contact and new friendships can be challenging,
leading some refugees to choose to isolate themselves. Clearly, isolation is problematic: it provides
excess time to dwell on the past, limits chances for positive and healing interactions, and stunts the
process of integration and reconstructing life. As a church, the way in which you walk with, befriend,
include, encourage and guide the refugee family will make a world of difference, and will likely be all it
takes to keep them from turning to unhealthy coping strategies such as these.
REFUGEE TRAUMA & HEALING
For more information on refugee trauma and healing, the following are some useful resources:
The Little Book of Trauma Healing: When Violence Strikes and Community is Threatened. Editors: Carolyn Yoder & Howard
Zehr. This book, from the Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series, is easily read and an indispensable resource to have on hand.
It should be available through your local MCC for borrowing.
David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages. An award winning site with resources for people working with trauma survivors.
http://www.trauma-pages.com.
Sidran Institute: Traumatic Stress Education. Articles, links and tools for therapists, faith based caregivers, survivors and
loved ones. http://www.sidran.org.
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Trauma Resources section contains articles, fact sheets and videos about
traumatic stress for caregivers and professionals. http://www.istss.org.
Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. Online and print resources on trauma, torture and accompanying survivors.
http://www.ccvt.org.
STAR toolkit from Eastern Mennonite University. Easily understood, printable resources for people who support trauma survivors.
http://www.emu.edu/cjp/pti/star/toolkit/.
The Center for Victims of Torture. The resources section has a series of excellent publications on refugee trauma healing.
http://www.cvt.org/.
Children’s Hospital Boston, Centre for Refugee Trauma and Resilience, Refugee Services Toolkit. A web-based tool
designed to help caregivers understand the experiences and needs of refugee children and families.
http://www.chcrtr.org/toolkit/.
Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights. This site offers a free online course on caring for torture survivors.
http://www.bcrhhr.org/.
Stress and Trauma Healing: A Manual for Caregivers. Authors: Karl and Evelyn Bartsch. This excellent manual covers both
the process by which victims become survivors and the process by which they themselves may become healers or caregivers
for others. It is useful for faith based small group settings. Available through the Mennonite Church Resource Library (ID 8650) and
may be downloaded from the MCC Resources for Trauma Healing and Community Recovery website:
http://healingtrauma.pdd.mcc.org/

Planning and Organizing
for Action
This section is intended as a complement to the previous chapters. It is provided in the spirit of
suggestion, as a resource to supplement the other planning processes you are already engaged
in as you prepare for the arrival of the refugee family. Even if the family has already arrived and the
sponsorship is well underway, you may still find some useful ideas in this section.
The following pages contain questions and ideas to assist your church in the process of planning how
you will accompany the refugee family in a variety of areas related to healing from trauma:
As you read on, be encouraged that your church will be a wonderful resource for refugees and has great
potential to play an important role in your sponsored refugee family’s journey of healing and belonging.
Photo by George Deguire, used with permission.

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LISTENING AND ACCOMPANIMENT
It is important for the church refugee support group to plan for how they will listen to the family. Although
the family may not want to talk about their story right away, they must know that there will always be
someone available to listen to them, whenever they need to talk. The church refugee committee should
be prepared to listen not only to their story from Colombia, but also be there to listen to the challenges,
frustrations and disappointments that the family experiences as they adjust to life in Canada - and let
them know that everything they are experiencing is normal.
Sometimes when one hears the problems or pains of others, one wants to help fix them. That is not
the purpose of this type of listening. The goal is to simply be present, consistent and open as you listen
to the troubles of the refugee family, without trying to “fix” their pain or problems. It is only the refugee
family themselves that can do the work of “fixing” and healing. Listening is an extremely important way
in which the church can support the family in their personal work of healing.
As you consider this topic, it may be helpful to refer back to the sections Talking about Trauma, What
Survivors Want to Say to Clergy, and Understanding our Differences.
Some questions to help guide your planning process:
1. Who will be intentionally available to listen to the refugee family?
2. How will you let the family know who is available, and that someone is willing to listen to
them anytime and about anything?
3. What kind of initiative will the “listener(s)” take to ensure the families are given
opportunities to be listened to?
4. Remember that speaking on the telephone is often one of the hardest things for a
new language learner to do. In addition, phones may actually generate fear for some
Colombian refugees at first, because of the many times they may have been threatened
over the phone or because of fear of their conversations being tapped. Giving the
refugee family your phone number and hoping they will call may not be an optimal
strategy for finding out when they need to talk. (Touching base in person will be more
effective.)
5. How will you address issues of confidentiality, if the family tells you things that they hope
you won’t pass on?
6. Will language barriers be an issue? If so, how will you resolve this? Where can you find
appropriate interpreters? For example, in a casual setting such as supper with the family,
it might be nice to have an acquaintance interpret. In a more formal setting, such as
a meeting with the refugee committee and the family, it would be important to use
an experienced interpreter. Don’t forget to go over the Guidelines for Working with
Interpreters in Appendix two if you use an “in house” interpreter.
7. What kind of spaces will you use to listen to the family? In their home? At the church? In
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Some ideas:
1. Would each member of the church refugee sponsorship committee consider inviting the
family to their home for a meal and using it as a time to get to know and listen to the
family? Ask them about their country, culture etc. Listen and discern what the family feels
comfortable talking about, and go from there.
2. If you sense that any member of the refugee family needs to be listened to by a
professional counsellor or psychologist, make sure that you let the person know where
the services are available, and that it is not something to be ashamed about. Encourage
them to connect to such a resource.
NARRATIVES - THE HEALING STORY
This section is complementary to the previous section on listening, but focuses specifically on giving the
family opportunity to share their story (not their current difficulties or problems, but rather their life story).
As you consider how you can provide safe environments for your refugee to heal through the telling of
their story, it might be helpful to refer back to the section Talking about Trauma. Pay special attention to
what refugees said about their experiences of telling - or wanting to tell - their stories.
Several refugees interviewed mentioned
the idea of wanting to share their story
with the church or even with a wider
audience, and their hopes that in sharing
their story, they might be freed from
some of the painful burden that they still
carry. Although almost all the interviewed
refugees agreed that telling their story
there story would be a helpful way to
deal with part of their trauma, several
also alluded to the pain and humiliation
that storytelling can bring if not done in a
safe and nurturing environment.
Because of both the potential for healing
of story telling and the potential for pain
and even embarrassment, it is important
that the church refugee sponsorship
committee think of ways in which they
could support the refugee family in
telling their story in a healing way and
safe atmosphere.
“The church doesn’t know much about the details,
they don’t know my situation in depth...I’d like to
write something in English, I’d like to write a letter
to be read in the church. I’d like to share my story.”
- Carlos
“It’s good for the church to provide opportunities
for the families to tell their stories, to talk about
their experiences in Colombia.... Actually, we were
asked if they could write a book about our lives.
We said yes, as long as they changed our names
and the place where we came from.”
- Pablo

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As you talk about how this could be done, here are some questions
to help guide your planning process:
Some ideas:
1. Do any members of the refugee committee have ideas or have they ever had good
experiences where they were able to tell difficult stories from their past to others? In what
kind of setting did this take place? With whom were they talking?
2. Put yourself in the shoes of the refugee family. In what kind of atmosphere would the
committee members feel comfortable telling their own stories?
3. How can you create a “safe space” for the refugee family in which to tell their story?
4. If you were to invite them to tell their story in church, what are some possible scenarios?
Small groups? Sunday morning service? Church retreat? Christmas banquet, relating their
story to Jesus as a refugee?
1. How about organizing a “story-circle” activity, with the refugee family and members
of the refugee committee and church community that the family has come to trust.
Instead of just inviting the family to tell their story, each person in the circle could have
an opportunity to talk about their story. This kind of activity acknowledges that each
person has a valuable story and helps vulnerable refugees feel less alone.
2. There are different ways of telling stories: talking, writing, painting, composing music,
theatre, silent pantomime and even dance. Find out which ways are of interest to the
refugee family and encourage them to pursue whichever one they find most appealing.
Support them if they need supplies or an audience. Writing doesn’t necessarily mean
a book - what about an article for a church publication or local magazine? Changing
names will likely be appealing to the family, should their story ever get published.
3. Be sensitive about the timing if you are planning to invite the refugee to tell their
story to an audience in a church setting. Give the refugee family time to build trusting
relationships before inviting to tell their story. Be aware that they may not feel able to
decline the invitation even if they don’t feel ready or comfortable telling their story. Since
they depend on the church for everything saying “no” to the church may be difficult.
4. If the family wants to share, give them time to do so! Make sure that you allow sufficient
time, as it is important that they are able to reach a satisfactory conclusion and that their
story isn’t cut short.
5. Find ways to encourage the refugee to focus on their strengths as they tell their story,
not just on the difficulties, but also on how they were strong enough to carry on, protect
their family, and seek help.

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FAMILY STRENGTHENING
Understanding that the refugee family you sponsor has experienced and will continue to experience
major stress as a family unit is an important starting place for planning how to support and strengthen
them as a family once they arrive to your community. Family struggles within the refugee family is
an area where the church has the opportunity to play a critical role, offering counsel, guidance and
encouragement to the family.
As you think about this topic, it may be helpful to refer to the section Effects of Refugee Trauma on the
Family.
Some questions to guide you as you think about how you can support
the family to stay strong.
Some ideas:
1. Is there anyone in your church or community that specializes in family counselling? What
about a counsellor that speaks their language and is culturally sensitive? Could you go to
them if the family needed specialized guidance? Ask your local MCC Refugee Coordinator
about possibilities for provincial funding for this kind of counselling in your area.
2. Who will take responsibility for talking openly to the family about their needs, challenges
and struggles as a family and for connecting them to appropriate resources in the church
and community?
3. What are some laws related to the family that the Colombian family might not know?
How can you organize a time to talk to them about family-related laws in Canada?
4. What activities are there in your church for each of the refugee family’s members? Kid’s
clubs or DVBS? Youth group? College and Careers group? Men’s groups? Women’s
groups? How will you ensure that the members of the family are not only invited, but
intentionally and genuinely included in these spaces?
5. What will you do to ensure that the family does not feel “all alone,” especially at first.
How will you coordinate responsibilities for organizing social events or leisure outings
with the family?
6. If there is evidence of domestic violence, how will you prepare to handle it while causing
the least damage to the family at the same time?
1. Remember to check in with the family regularly during the year - not just at the
beginning - regarding family struggles. Different issues will come up over the course of
the year as the family adapts and as members take on new roles, meet new friends,
and as children mature.
2. Talking about family issues doesn’t need to be awkward of difficult. Just as all the
families in your church and community face challenges, so does the refugee family.
When you talk to the refugee family about their challenges, remind them that they are

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normal challenges for refugee families to face, and that the church has resources to
help or will help them find the resources they need in the community.
3. Mutual vulnerability is key to trust building. Sharing the struggles of Canadian families,
perhaps even your own family, with the refugee family will normalize their experiences,
equalize imbalances and allow the refugee family to take risks in sharing because they
feel safe and know that you also have similar challenges at times.
4. Could you organize families from the committee or church community to take the
refugee family on outings, aside from the “essential” outings for shopping, registering for
documents or school etc? Find ways to ensure that they get out of their house and spend
time with people other than themselves, especially at first, since it will take time for them
to build their own social network.
SERVING OTHERS - IDENTITY BUILDING & HEALING
Many of the Colombian refugees interviewed for this guide mentioned how meaningful it would be to
be involved in some kind of social service or voluntary activity. Service to others can play a role in helping
refugees construct a new positive identity and self image as well as in their own trauma healing. Being
needed by others helps reinforce their value as people and members of a community. This section is
intended to help you brainstorm ways that your church could help connect members of the refugee
families to areas of service or voluntary activities.
It may be helpful to refer to the sections Identity Changes: Loss and Reconstruction and Reconnection
as well as the section on helping others in Reconnection as you think about this topic.
Some questions to get you started:
1. What areas of service or ministries does your church have? Which of these take
volunteers?
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Some ideas:
1. Many Colombians are great cooks and have experience preparing for large groups of
people. Why not find out if they would be interested in helping with ministries such as
soup kitchens, or helping in the kitchen for church events?
2. If the refugee family has children that become involved in youth groups or children’s
clubs at church, think about if there are ways that the parents could become
involved as volunteers in those spaces: chaperoning or accompanying youth events
or helping out in children’s clubs or DVBS in a role appropriate to their abilities and
language level.
3. If your church has community service activities such visiting care homes, cleaning yards,
volunteering in a thrift shop or a sewing circle, invite members of the refugee family to
join in. Many may have musical talent to contribute during visits to elderly care homes,
for example.
4. Is there any way that you could involve the refugee family in the activities of the Sunday
morning service? Find out of they have musical talents. Perhaps you could invite them to
teach a simple Spanish worship song to the congregation one Sunday or read a portion
of scripture (even in Spanish). What about child care during the service, or handing
out bulletins or greeting people as they come in or leave church (once the family feels
comfortable in the church)?
5. Remember that connecting the refugee family to service activities is not the same as
having free help - e.g. someone who will clean or do yard maintenance for free. Be
intentional about finding a meaningful context of service that feels rewarding to the
refugee.
ADVOCACY & PEACEBUILDING
The Colombian refugee family you sponsor may feel great concern for family members and friends that
they left behind, and may wish that they could “do something” or be part of some kind of action that
could make a difference in the lives of their loved ones in Colombia. In fact, taking part in advocacy or
peacebuilding efforts could be one of the ways that the family is able to construct new meaning in life
as they begin anew in Canada.
Advocacy for Colombia is something that not only the refugee family could get involved in but that your
church might want to consider as well. If you’ve sponsored a Colombian refugee family you are likely
concerned about the situation of human rights violations and violence in Colombia.
Here are some ideas to get you started thinking about how your church community could
engage in advocacy along side the Colombian refugee family:
1. Become involved in Days of Prayer and Action, a annual campaign focusing on North
American churches and governments to promote prayer and advocacy for displaced

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people and human rights in Colombia. For more information contact the MCC
representative in Colombia: mccrep@colombia.mcc.org
2. Consider becoming part of the Sister Church program, partnering in mutually supportive
prayer and communication with a Peace Church congregation in Colombia. For more
information on the Sister Church program see the Justapaz website : www.justapaz.org
3. Learn about ways in which the Canadian government interacts with Colombia
(for example, the Free Trade Agreement) and how those interactions impact Colombians.
Consider speaking out to your local politicians in instances where Canada’s actions do
not promote justice or human rights in Colombia. Some excellent resources for following
human rights in Colombia and understanding the connection to Canadian politics and
policies include:
http://www.amnesty.ca/blog2.php?blog=colombia_hr
and their members, available on the Justapaz website: www.justapaz.org
occasionally be available on the MCC Ottawa office website:
http://ottawa.mcc.org/
4. Host a discussion group with interested people from your community and invite
members of the Colombian refugee family to talk about their country and the current
situation there, if they feel comfortable doing so.
STAYING HEALTHY
Before their problems started, many refugee families may have had a fairly active lifestyle. Those from
rural settings, especially, would be engaged in strenuous physical activity on a regular basis as they
carried out farm chores or walked to and from town. Likewise, a healthy diet of fresh local produce would
have been common for most Colombians. For some refugees, physical activity and a healthy diet may
have come to a stand still as they were forced to go into hiding. Most displaced Colombians that are
living under threat try to avoid spending much time on the street, and thus experience a drastic change
from an active lifestyle to a sedentary one. Others find themselves working in hard-labour jobs such as
construction or housekeeping. As their financial situation worsens, many subsist on sugarcane water and
bread or rice, and malnutrition is a serious problem amongst displaced populations in Colombia.
The change to life in Canada may not naturally bring an increase in physical activity for the refugee family,
despite the fact that being active and healthy are valued in Canada. There are numerous reasons for
this: a) although parks may be available for walks or jogs, the refugee family may feel afraid to go out
alone, b) they may have never used public recreation facilities before, and not know how to start, c)
and taking advantage of winter physical activities won’t come naturally to them. Another reason could be
related to costs and budget - the family may not feel that they can afford costs related to transportation
to access exercise facilities, equipment, or registration fees to join community sports teams or classes at
a community recreation centre.

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It is a known fact that physical activity is an
important factor in recovering from traumas and
for staying healthy, therefore it is important that
the church community plan for ways to ensure
that the refugee family can become physically
active once they arrive. The good news is that
there are likely many ways that the refugee
family can keep active and stay healthy in your
community, and there are likely people in the
congregation that would be willing to help them
discover the ways that best suit them.
Although their diet will certainly improve upon
arrival in Canada, most refugees won’t be
familiar with shopping in huge supermarkets,
nor will they be familiar with the changing of
seasons and the seasonal availabilities of fresh
produce.
Here are some questions to help you think about how to ensure the refugee family
has access to physical activity and healthy food:
1. What forms of physical activities are common in your town or city? You could classify the
possible options into different categories: group activities (such as community or church
sports teams), solitary activities (like jogging in the park), free activities (badminton in
the back yard), activities that you must pay for (swimming lessons or a dance class at
the community centre), summer activities, winter activities, activities available for specific
age groups etc. This will help you when it comes time to talk about the options with
the refugee family, since you’ll be able to explain what is available and find out which
activities are of most interest to the different members of the family.
2. What forms of physical activities do people from your church participate in? Who are
these people, and might they be willing to invite members of the refugee family to join
them?
3. Can you make space in your sponsorship budget to ensure that the refugee family
will be able to afford physical activities for each and every member of their family?
If children would like to join a local kids’ soccer team, the teenage son would make
good use of a gym pass, and the mom would like to join a ladies dance class at the
community centre, would this be financially possible?
4. Are there local farmers’ markets in your community that the refugee family could
shop at in the summer and fall? Since large supermarkets are unfamiliar to most
Colombians, the possibility of shopping at a farmers’ market would likely be welcome
and appreciated.

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Some ideas for helping the refugee family keep
active and eat healthily
1. You might want to pay special attention to ensuring the family has ways to keep active
in the winter, since this season will be new to them and they may be less inclined to
venture outside. Winter sports will be entirely new to the refugee family, yet it is likely
that at least the children and youth will probably be keen to take part.
2. If you are able to budget a specific amount of money for them to use on physical
activity, let them know. Since they may initially feel bad using money to pay for exercise,
help them to understand how important being physically active will be both for their
future health and for helping them to move on with life and recover from all the difficult
things they have experienced. Tell them it’s important to you that they are able to be
active and to choose the activities that best suit them.
3. Refugee children and adults may have never learned to swim - if not, and if they are
interested, would you consider enrolling them in swimming lessons?
4. Soccer (known as “fútbol” in Colombia) is loved by nearly all Colombians. There is a
good chance that at least some members of the refugee family - young or old - might
enjoy being connected with local possibilities to play soccer.
5. If your refugee family is of rural roots, they may appreciate the possibility to participate
in some gardening of their own. If the home where they are living has space for a
garden, find out if they would be interested in planting one. Have someone from your
church explain the timing for planting and harvesting in Canada, and help them find
seeds and gardening supplies. If they are not able to plant their own garden, find out if
there are any community gardening projects nearby in the community, where the family
could tend their own plot or work together with others. This kind of project might not
be of interest to all Colombian refugee families, but to some it could be of very special
interest - it would be worth while finding out if it would be something your refugee
family would enjoy. It would also provide a source of fresh, healthy produce during the
summer and fall.
6. As the seasons change, so does Canadian produce. Some fruits and vegetables will be
unfamiliar to the refugee family. Finding ways to introduce them to new produce and
also new recipes could provide for some enjoyable times together with the family.
7. The idea of preserving or freezing food is foreign to Colombians, since fresh produce is
available year round in Colombia. While it is not a necessity in Canada any longer, with
super markets providing imported produce year round, there may still be occasions
where the refugee family might want to consider freezing or preserving some sort
of local seasonal fruit or vegetable. If you think that this might be something useful
or interesting to teach the refugee family, rest assured it will be something new and
potentially enjoyable for them to learn.

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HELPING THE FAMILY FEEL AT HOME
There are many little ways to help your new friends feel at home and welcomed into their new
community. Short, spontaneous phone calls and visits, although not the norm in Canadian culture, will
likely be very meaningful to the Colombian refugee family. Celebrating occasions that are special to
Colombians, such as New Years and birthdays would be another way to help the family feel at home.
Finally, finding ways to learn from the family about their culture will give them opportunities to share
who they are and what is dear to them, and can be a complementary process to them learning about
Canadian culture. Knowing that the church community values and is interested in their culture will
be a special gift to the Colombian family, as it will open up opportunities to talk about their history
and assure them that the church community loves them and is delighted to have them in their
community.
Reviewing the section Understanding our Differences and especially the pages containing Cultural Tips
might be helpful as you think about this topic.
Here are some questions to think about as you plan how you will help
the family feel at home:
1. Perhaps there are people in your congregation that would be willing to offer
accompaniment to the family through frequent, short phone calls? Who could they
be?
2. Are there any members of your congregation that would be willing to commit to
dropping by the home of the refugee for visits?
3. What can you do to ensure that the refugee family isn’t alone, but rather in
community, on days that are special to them? While it is almost certain that New
Year’s will be a day they yearn to spend with friends and family (they may feel extra
homesick on that day), how can you find out what other days during the year are
special to them (for example, a daughter’s 15th birthday)? Being alone on these
special days would be a painful reminder of their losses, however, sharing those
occasions with new Canadian friends in their new home community could help
create a sense of being “at home” in a new place.
4. Are there families in your church that would be willing to ensure that the refugee
family doesn’t spend those certain special days alone? How can you plan for them to
be surrounded by community at those times?
5. How will you get to know their culture? Are there people in your church that would
be interested in learning about Colombian cooking, music, art, geography or dance?
If so, how can you encourage these people to see out the refugee family and show
their genuine interest?

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Here are some ideas that might help:
1. Good advice for North Americans
attempting to befriend and include new
Colombians in their community life: Call
them often. No specific reason, content
or length of call is necessary. Just call and
chat for five sentences. Inquire about
them and their family and their loved
ones. Then, wish them a good day and
end the call with a blessing to them.
2. Dropping in “just because we care about
you and wonder how you are doing
this week” would be almost always a
welcomed experience for a Colombian.
Whether the visit turns out to be short
or long, it will be appreciated. While it
is certainly fine to arrive empty handed,
bringing a small snack along could be
a nice touch, and is something typical
in Colombian culture. Receiving visits
and calls will help take the edge off the
isolation they may feel, and will let them
know that they are loved and welcomed
by the church community.
3. Although the refugee family may not take the initiative to invite church friends over for a
meal (likely for cultural or budget reasons), they would probably love to share their time
and their cooking with you. Perhaps church friends could invite the family, or at least the
mother, to help cook a Colombian meal in their home? Alternatively, let the family know
that you would like to come over, and ask when would be a good time. Just because they
may not invite you on their own doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy hosting you once the
occasion arrises.
4. You could ask if they have any photos from home and look at them together. If they
don’t have pictures try to find picture books on Colombia from the library to look at with
the family. This kind of activity could open up great conversations about their region in
Colombia and local culture and traditions.
5. Depending on interest from both sides, you could ask the Colombian family to teach
you some salsa or other Colombian dances such as cumbia, merengue or vallenato.
Music and dance typically brings much joy to Colombians. If they didn’t bring music
from home along, help them find music in the library or in stores that speaks to them
and lifts their spirits.

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PREPARING THE CHURCH COMMUNITY
TO WELCOME AND BEFRIEND THE REFUGEE FAMILY
Before the refugee family arrives, it may be a good idea to prepare the church congregation to receive
them. It would be especially meaningful to prepare the youth and young adults of the church to befriend
the youth in the refugee family, since isolation and difficulties in meeting friends their own age are
common problems for refugee youth and young adults.
When a refugee refugee family arrives and is embraced by church members of all ages, they receive a
valuable gift that will strengthen their family in the months to come. On the other hand, when a refugee
family comes with young adults, youth and children but the only members of the church that they
connect with are middle age and older, the youth of the family may struggle to integrate and will have a
higher risk for loneliness, isolation and difficulties connecting with Canadian society. What better place for
young refugees to create a social group than in the church? Genuine efforts from the youth of the church
to welcome and include them will be treasured by the refugee family’s youth.
Here are some questions to consider as you think about how to get church members
of all ages involved in welcoming and including the refugee family:
1. What are the ages of the members of the soon to arrive refugee family? What activities or
ministries does your church have that correspond to their ages? (i.e. youth group, college
and careers, mid-week adult Bible studies or small groups, sunday school, DVBS, worship
team and so on.)
2. How will you ensure that each member of the refugee family is genuinely included in
the activity or ministry that corresponds to their age? Are there people in each group that
could be responsible?
3. Logistical concerns such as transportation probably need to be taken into account - how
can rides be provided to different activities, when needed?
4. How multi-cultural is your church and community? Are church members used to
befriending and including people that may not be able to speak English? If need be, how
can you encourage church members to overcome the initial barriers and invest time and
energy in real relationships with the refugee family?
Some ideas to help prepare church members of all ages to welcome
and befriend the family:
1. Before the family arrives, could you consider having some sessions about Colombia in
the context of different church activities, so as to reach all the different age groups (ie.
youth group, adult small groups, Sunday school). These sessions could be used to learn
about Colombia as well as to talk about the family that is coming and what you know
about them so far. You could use library books or videos and MCC resources to learn
about Colombia. From what your Provincial Refugee Coordinator has told you about the

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refugee family you can start to imagine who might like to befriend different members of
the family, and what kinds of activities the family would like to do or be included in upon
arrival.
2. Intentionally plan with children, youth, young adults and adults in the church how they
would like to welcome and befriend the family. Gather ideas and also commitments.
When the family comes, there should be people from each age group that are not only
committed to but are also anticipating befriending and inviting members of the refugee
family in their age bracket to corresponding church activities.
3. In some cases, it is possible to correspond with the refugee family before their arrival.
Check with your MCC Provincial Refugee Program Coordinator to find out. If it is possible,
have church members of different age groups write letters to the refugee family even
before their arrival, describing themselves, the church, the community and so on. This is
a great first step to helping the family feel welcomed and at home.
4. Despite initial language barriers, try to include each and every family member in church
activities. Even if at first they can’t understand everything that is being said, and even if no
translator is available, there are many ways to make the members of the refugee family
know they are welcome and loved. Humor, gestures, smiles and hugs and perhaps a
bilingual dictionary will all be useful tools.

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100 w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r
MESSAGE FROM SHALOM
During my four years as an MCC Service Worker in Colombia, I walked together with dozens of
displaced Colombian families in their pre-refugee stage. I saw them carry on despite suffering threats,
hunger, isolation and rejection from society. I saw many physical scars - testimony to miraculous
escapes from attacks meant to kill and kidnappings meant to disappear innocent victims. Through this
suffering, one of the greatest sources of hope was the knowledge that one day peace would come.
For some, this peace was to be found in the loving embrace of a new community in Canada, made
possible through the MCC Canada Refugee Sponsorship program. Although I saw nearly every family
I accompanied in tears at one point or another, I rarely cried myself, no matter how poignant or tragic
their story. However, there was one time with each and every refugee family that was sponsored by
a Mennonite church in Canada that it was incredibly hard for me to hold back my tears and keep my
voice strong. In each refugee sponsorship process there came a time when I was able to share the
happy news with the refugee family that they would be received in Canada by a Mennonite church.
It was in those conversations, when I would tell the family that there was a church community
in Canada that loved them even though they had never met them, that my voice would, without
exception, begin to waver. It would be all I could do to hold back the tears. The first time I experienced
this I was surprised - I had no idea that I would be so deeply touched by the experience of sharing
this happy news with the family. However, this depth of emotion continued each and every time I
had the chance to tell a family that they would be sponsored by a Mennonite church. To be able to
tell a family that has been living under threat that they will have a second chance at life, and to tell
them that they will be accompanied, loved and supported by a community of people that are yet
strangers is a powerful, moving and beautiful experience. Lives are changed forever because of the
love offered by sponsoring churches.
In the fall of 2010 I had the opportunity to travel to several provinces and connect personally with
members of churches that sponsor Colombian refugees through MCC. Many of the people I met had
worked with the very same families that I had worked with in Colombia. In the conversations I had with
individuals who had dedicated their time and resources to sponsor Colombian families, I was deeply
touched to learn of the myriad ways in which the calling to the ministry of refugee sponsorship is heard.
For many, it is a biblical call, rooted in the numerous passages in which we are instructed to welcome
the stranger or in passages such as Matthew 25, in which Jesus reminds us that “whatever you do for
the least of these you have done it for me.” For others there is a close connection to family experiences;
many had come from refugee families themselves and felt a strong call to welcome and assist other
families in need of safety and a new beginning. For some the call grows from exposure to other cultures
through experiences such as MCC assignments. Most concluded that upon hearing real life stories of fear
and threat and recognizing a need it was only natural to respond. “We are to do good,” explained one
person. In light of a world that is increasingly preoccupied with self gain, often at the cost of the well-being
of others, being surrounded by so many people who generously give of themselves to assist families
they have never met was inspiring. The fact that so many Canadian church communities have chosen
to answer this call to welcome the stranger, opening their doors, their hearts and their pocketbooks to
offer a new chance at life for Colombian refugee families is nothing short of amazing. As I heard of the

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joys and challenges of sponsorship I was impressed by the dedication, love and call to service that was
so apparent in each person I spoke to.
During this same visit to Canada, I also visited with a number of Colombian refugee families that I had
accompanied while they still lived in Colombia. I will never forget how one Colombian family explained
to me that a Canadian family from their sponsoring church had a family tree, complete with pictures of
their biological family members, on their wall. The Colombian family beamed as they told me “They put
our pictures in their family tree. We are part of their family now!” A wave of emotion swept over me as I
realized that this family had not only been given the gift of a new chance at life or of new friends but of
new “adoptive” family. Nothing could be more meaningful as they begin again in a foreign context. Many
other families spoke of similar experiences of being welcomed into new Canadian families and quickly
feeling at home in their new communities. I’d like to emphasize that this kind of support is a very special
characteristic of the MCC Canada Refugee Sponsorship Program and the churches that participate in it.
The accompaniment that you, as church sponsorship groups, offer to refugee families is very unique and
valuable, and has a significant effect on the lives of refugee families.
As someone who has primarily worked “on the other side,” in Colombia, with families before the come
to Canada as refugees, I want to express my profound appreciation and admiration for the churches and
individuals who give so much to offer new beginnings, complete with new communities and even new
“extended families” to these Colombian families. I hope you will find this material useful as you walk
together with the families you have welcomed into your hearts and communities.
Your comments on this material are welcome and invited. I would also be delighted to hear any stories
that you may have. If you have any feedback, reflections or stories that you would like to share with me,
please feel free to write me at shalomwiebe@gmail.com

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MESSAGE FROM THE JUSTICE
AND PEACE COMMITTEE
Teusaquillo Mennonite Church, Bogotá, Colombia
Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Mennonite Churches of Canada,
We don’t have words to express our gratitude to you for the solidarity and love you have shown our
Colombian brothers and sisters who have had to flee their homeland to save their lives. The joining of
your actions with ours in accompanying refugees is a testimony to the compassion of faith communities
reaching out across borders and standing in solidarity with those in need.
As many of you know from the experience of your own ancestors, when you live in fear and under
persecution, and someone extends a hand of friendship and help, that hand is as the very hand of the
Lord who comes to rescue us in our time of need. You have been that for dozens and hundreds of
refugees from different parts of the world.
We at the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in downtown Bogotá, Colombia, have been accompanying
people living under threat and insecurity for more than 10 years. In this ministry, being able to work
closely with you has been vital to those who have fled to Canada They have not only found refuge,
but also a church home in your congregations. In the course of our working together and in our follow
up contacts with those who have left, we have identified many learnings, some of which Shalom has
gathered into this resource material. It is in the spirit of our joint mission and commitment that we share
this material with you.
We are aware that not everyone fits in smoothly or easily at first and that our compatriots often carry
deep scars and emotional wounds that have not been entirely cured. But with your patience and love
many of them have recovered their lives, have been able to look to the future, and we hope have made
contributions in the various congregations where they are participating. Many of them have been helping
relatives here financially and some of them have remembered to help our church ministries as well.
Truly God does wonderful things when we join hands to do God’s work. We are called as followers of
Jesus to do good, and in receiving the refugees that arrive in Canada and giving them a church home
you have been doing just that. Thank you very much.
Fraternally,
Peter Stucky, pastor
For the Justice and Peace Committee
Teusaquillo Mennonite Church
Bogotá, Colombia

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APPENDIX #1
STAGES OF ACCULTURATION AND POSSIBLE SERVICE IMPLICATIONS
Physical Events Psychosocial Experience Service Implications
Reunited with family
Located in new home
Children enrolled in school
Initial medical screening
Case manager assigned from
resettlement agency
Referred for ESL, employment
and other services
Paperwork, red tape, other
print-based requirements
ARRI VAL
High expectations
Relief
Grateful to be safe
Hopeful for future and/or
Feeling overwhelmed
Confusion
Disorientation
Mixed emotions and/or
Numbed out/state of shock and/or
Resentment
Anger
Excited to be studying
Grateful for help & support
Pleased to be in a community
Excited to get to know a Canadian
Sense of purpose and schedule
Fearful/nervous about learning
new language, or
Unfocused
Non-related or unconnected, or
Resentful
Restless
Impatient
Culture shock
Negative experiences
Losses realized
Intergenerational conflict in families
Values and faith conflicts across
cultures
Conflict with refugee communities
Realization that many obstacles
must be overcome to have the life
they dream of
Begin to understand and accept
new environment
Takes action to move ahead
Developing English capacity
Stability and structure in daily living
Affiliation with ethnic group
Rebuilding support systems
Defining new roles and identity
REALITY
Culture shock
Awareness of challenges
and difficulties
Disappointment and anger
Feeling overwhelmed
Fear, sense of abandonment
Preoccupation with losses
Frustration
Memories of traumatic events
Resentment and anger
NEGOTIA TION
(or Alienation see Below)
Begins to accept losses
Healing from trauma
Commitment to succeed
Growing sense of selfdetermination
and control
Difficulty concentrating
Detachment
Short-term memory loss
Doesn’t complete or forgets
assignments
Flashbacks
Fatigue
Falling asleep in class
Startle response/hypervigilence
Lateness or frequent absence
Somatic complaints (headache,
stomachache, etc.)
Dedication to classroom learning
Complete assignments
Connecting to classmates,
making friends
Sets realistic goals
Memory improvement
Concentration improvement
Still may experience feelings
of frustration or being
overwhelmed: “Will I ever learn
this language?”
Stages of Acculturation & Possible Service Implications chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104,
www.cvt.org ©Center for Victims of Torture

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STAGES OF ACCULTURATION AND POSSIBLE SERVICE IMPLICATIONS
Physical Events Psychosocial Experience Service Implications
CULT URAL I N T EGRATION
(or Marginalization see Below)
Basic needs met
Some language competence
Employment and/or economic
stability
Family relationships
strengthened
Community ties established
Sense of power and control
Bicultural identity forged
Self-confidence
Pride in self-sufficiency
Sense of success and stable
future “I have a place in this
country.”
May disengage from ESL class
as self-sufficiency and
English competency is achieved
Sense that class is no longer
needed, that client has moved
beyond it
Increased self-study
May transfer to workplace ESL
May focus on college or other
adult-education options
Inability to use (or lack of
access to) transportation
Poor physical health
Taking care of small children
Mental-health issues
Intergenerational conflict
Possible domestic abuse
Children are not supervised
Especially at risk: older
refugees and homebound
women
Strong involvement with
institutions: legal, child welfare,
police
Dependence
Unemployment
Legal involvement
Taking on negative roles
Temporary housing or moves
often
Seldom leaves home
Possible involvement in gangs
or crime
Substance or domestic abuse
ALI ENATION
Reluctant to leave home
Not wanting to “take on”
the outside world
Isolation and withdrawal
Despair and sadness
Suicidal thoughts
Lamenting loss of old roles
Fear they cannot succeed
in Canada
MARGI NALI ZATION
Has given up hope of
acculturating or having
a positive role in Canada
Has resentment/negative
attitude
Hopelessness
Seems unreachable
Attendance very sporadic
or student drops out
May have difficulty reaching
student by phone
Intends to but can’t manage
to come to class
Barriers to attendance, i.e.
no transportation, child care
Over-attachment to one teacher,
lever, or program
Time-management,
priority- setting issues
Attendance has ceased
May be impossible to locate
or contact student
Stages of Acculturation & Possible Service Implications chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104,
www.cvt.org ©Center for Victims of Torture

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APPENDIX #2
GUIDELINES FOR WORKING WITH INTERPRETERS
BEFORE
SESSION
DURING
SESSION
DO
Develop a pool of accessible, trained professional
interpreters.
Screen interpreters: determine their level of language
sophistication, knowledge of the culture, sensitivity to
mental health issues (especially confidentiality), and
general disposition for the tasks to be done. For mental
health service delivery, it is important to ask about the
interpreter’s own mental health. Many interpreters have
their own trauma history and need to make informed
choices about re-exposure to traumatic events.
Orient interpreters to your organization/church/
committee’s mission, goals, structure, terminology and
roles. This should be ongoing rather than a one time
effort.
Develop and maintain good working relationships with
interpreters.
Expect tasks to take longer when an interpreter is used.
Expect the interpreter to assist with clarification.
Expect the interpreter to take notes when issues
become complicated
Prepare to repeat yourself in different words.
Have the parties speak directly to each other, not to the
interpreter. Make sure the interpreter speaks to both
parties in the first person.
Look at the client while you are speaking to her or him,
not at the interpreter. Maintain gentle eye contact when
the client or the interpreter speaks.
Explain your role and that of the interpreter. It is
especially important to address the issue of interpreter
confidentiality and how the interpreter and client will
handle future interactions within the community.
Use the interpreter as a cultural broker to avoid
unnecessary misunderstanding.
DON’T
Omit this stage. It is essential for
providing culturally competent
services.
Use a word-for-word interpreting
format. Literal translation rarely makes
it possible to re-express the original
meaning due to uniqueness of each
language.
Chain questions (e.g. “Do you
smoke or drink coffee?”)
Say anything you don’t want
the other party to hear.
Talk about clients in their presence.
If you need to consult with the
interpreter, explain what you are
doing to the client.
Confuse the interpreter by backing
up, rephrasing, or hesitating. Don’t
“think aloud” or use a reflective style
that changes, meanders, or backs
up in the middle, or erases parts.
Talk fast.
Guidelines for Working with Interpreters chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104,
www.cvt.org ©Center for Victims of Torture

106 w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r
GUIDELINES FOR WORKING WITH INTERPRETERS
DURING
SESSION
DO
Pay attention to your nonverbal communication,
which is the only means of direct communication
between you and the client.
Watch for subtle signs of discomfort or distress,
as a clue that the interpretation is not going well.
Be aware of ethnic, age, gender and class differences
between the interpreter and the client.
Use short, simple statements and stick to one
topic at a time.
Plan what you want to say ahead of time.
Regulate the pace of the interaction, pausing
in natural places to permit interpretation.
Check to see if messages are understood (may ask
interpreter to repeat things such as instructions
or directions back to you in English).
Encourage the interpreter to tell you when he
or she is having difficulty.
Ask the interpreter to make a complete interpretation
in the event of an obvious omission.
Give the interpreter time to interpret concepts.
One word can require a lengthy explanation in
either direction if the concept doesn’t exist in the
other language.
DON’T
Tune out or think only of your next
question while the client is speaking,
even though you don’t understand
what’s being said.
Use idioms, slang, obscure or
ambiguous words, abstractions,
metaphors, jargon.
Keep repeating questions that aren’t
being answered.
Expect the interpreter to know
everything about the client’s culture.
Other cultural resources may be
needed.
AFTER
SESSION
Debrief on communication problems. Ask whether
there was anything you did not understand or
respond to appropriately (tone of voice, nonverbal
communication, etc.). Ask whether there was
anything that reflected your lack of understanding
of the client’s culture, and whether the interpreter
had any difficulty interpreting (accent, dialect, client
not answering the questions asked).
Debrief on emotional and trauma-related issues
(e.g., “Did this bring up any difficult feelings for
you?”) This can be done with groups of interpreters.
Skip this stage. The best cross-cultural
learning for both service providers
and interpreters often happens
through immediate feedback
using specific situations as learning
opportunities.
Guidelines for Working with Interpreters chart courtesy of the Center for Victims of Torture, 649 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104,
www.cvt.org ©Center for Victims of Torture

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APPENDIX #3
COMMON RESPONSES TO TRAUMATIC EVENTS
Feelings Thinking What people
do or say
Physical Spiritual Group
Behaviour
fear, terror,
anxiety
confusion
withdraw from
or avoid usual
activities
thirst, dry
mouth
emptiness, loss
of meaning
apathy
panic,
paranoia
nightmares
panic, restless,
hyper alertness,
erratic
movements
vomiting,
weakness
doubt, anger
at God
silence, unable
to talk with others
anger, rage
suspicious,
overly sensitive
emotional
outbursts,
suspicious of
others
chest pains,
elevated blood
pressure, rapid
heart rate
feeling
unforgiven or
punished
denial about what
is happening,
unable to be
truthful
apprehension,
depression,
vengeful
overly sensitive
problems
at work
visual difficulties
loss of faith in
people
isolate, lack of
empathy, low
energy and
productivity,
inflexibility
shame, guilt,
sadness, grief,
shock
unable to
concentrate
or make
decisions
difficulty writing
or talking
nausea,
diarrhea
looking for
magic
high rates of
stress related
health issues
feeling
helpless /
hopeless
very critical,
blaming others
excessive use
of humor,
changes
in speech
patterns
shallow
breathing,
dizziness or
faintness, chills,
sweating
belief that we
have failed God
of that God is
powerless, crisis
of faith
intergenerational
transmission of
pain
feeling numb
poor problem
solving
increased drug
or alcohol
use, domestic
violence
grinding teeth,
headaches
sudden turing
to God
spiritual growth
and wisdom
Common Responses to Traumatic Events chart courtesy of the Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness Program,
Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia. www.emu.edu/star ©Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness Program

108 w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r
COMMON RESPONSES TO TRAUMATIC EVENTS
Feelings Thinking What people
do or say
Physical Spiritual Group
Behaviour
irritability
disoriented to
time, place or
person
avoid thoughts
and feelings
related to
traumatic event
easily startled
loss of direction,
cynicism, apathy,
alienated,
mistrust
courage
heightened
or lowered
awareness
impaired sexual
functioning
fatigue,
changes in
sleep patterns,
nightmares,
inability to rest
growth, deeper
faith, resilience
feeling
uncoordinated
caring for
others
changes in
appetite,
stomach
distress
Common Responses to Traumatic Events chart courtesy of the Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness Program,
Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia. www.emu.edu/star ©Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness Program

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REFERENCES
Flashbacks and the Brain-Body Link. (2004) Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness, Eastern
Mennonite University, Virginia. www.emu.edu/star
Healing the Hurt, Chapter 2 Torture Survivors: Family and Community Issues. Minneapolis, MN: The
Centre for Victims of Torture. www.ctv.org
Herman, J. (1992) Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence from domestic abuse to political
terror. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Johnson, D. (2005) Helping Refugee Trauma Survivors in the Primary Care Setting. Minneapolis, MN:
Centre for Victims of Torture. www.ctv.org
Klassen, B. (2006) Opening Space for Healing in Colombia, in Peacebuilding in Traumatized Societies.
Maryland: University Press of America.
LeBaron, M. (2003) Communication Tools for Understand Cultural Differences and Cross-Cultural
Communication. Beyond Intractability. (www.beyondintractability.org)
Lennon, E. (2005) New Neighbors Hidden Scars, chapter 3 Healing the Hurt. Minneapolis, MN: The
Centre for Victims of Torture. www.ctv.org
Lord, R., (2004) What Victims Want to Say to Clergy. Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness,
Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia. www.emu.edu/star
Luks, A. (2001) The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping
Others. New York, NY: iUniverse.
¿Salto estratégico o salto al vacío? El desplazamiento forzado en los tiempos de la seguridad
democrática. Bulletin #76. (2010, January) Bogotá, Colombia: CODHES - Consultoría para los Derechos
Humanos y el Desplazamiento. http://www.codhes.org
Ting-Toomey, S. & Chung, L. (2005) Understanding Intercultural Communication. Los Angeles, CA:
Roxbury Publications.

Colombia - Suramérica
Océano Atlántico
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SAN ANDRÉS
PROVIDENCIA
Barranquilla
ATLÁNTICO
Santa
Marta
MAGDALENA
Cartagena
GUAJIRA
Riohacha
Valledupar
CESAR
Sincelejo
Panamá
Montería
CÓRDOBA
SUCRE
BOLÍVAR
NORTE DE
SANTANDER
Cúcuta
Venezuela
ANTIOQUIA
Medellín
Bucaramanga
SANTANDER
Arauca
ARAUCA
Puerto Carreño
Océano Pacífico
CHOCÓ
Quibdó
CALDAS
RISARALDA Manizales
Pereira
Armenia
QUINDÍO
Ibagué
TOLIMA
VALLE DEL CAUCA
Cali
Neiva
BOYACÁ
Tunja
Bogotá D.C.
CUNDINAMARCA
Villavicencio
META
CASANARE
Yopal
VICHADA
Puerto Inírida
CAUCA
Popayán
HUILA
San José del Guaviare
GUAINÍA
NARIÑO
Florencia
GUAVIARE
Pasto
Mitú
Mocoa
PUTUMAYO
CAQUETÁ
VAUPÉS
Ecuador
AMAZONAS
Brazil
Perú
Leticia

WALKING TOGETHER
Healing and Hope for Colombian Refugees