Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

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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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