Peace after the horror

Dorcelle has been traumatised ever since the genocide that took place in her country Rwanda in the spring of 1994. For close to 30 years she did not allow herself to talk about what happened. Now, finally – aged 50 – she is able to articulate the evil after she found the strength to take part in group workshops for mental health that were conducted near her home town Kankuba close to Kigali. Here she was able to share her story and free herself of the painful memories.

Dorcelle has a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother. She grew up at the foot of lush, rolling hills dotted with banana plantations. She was 23 when the untroubled years of her youth came to an abrupt end. "I was hunted because I was married to a Tutsi. I was eight months pregnant and hid in the bushes with my four-year-old son on my back. But the dogs sniffed me out and then men I knew tore the clothes from my body and raped me repeatedly."

She was beaten, bound and thrown naked into the river. "I have no idea how I survived. It's a miracle," she says softly. Her father managed to pull her out with a rope after having paid off her attackers. There were corpses floating in the river and she has not been able to go near it ever since.

Scars have permanently disfigured her thighs and one heel. She has constant headaches because of being beaten and is unable to work. Her son has to provide for her. The girl she was expecting at that time lived for barely three years. "The loss was almost too much to bear," recounts Dorcelle with tears in her eyes.

Dorcelle's lot in life has been hard but she has made peace with her fate. "I was able to talk with other women and trust enough to share my fears in confidence. That changed something within me." She has come a long way in the workshops along with about 20 other survivors of physical, mental or sexual violence.

The conflicts that have been raging in the Great Lakes region for decades inflicted great suffering on the people. When former president of the Swiss Federation Micheline Calmy-Rey visited the region in 2010, she and other female politicians got an insight into the devastating situation of women. A year later, the SDC's psycho-social programme for Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda was launched. The programme focuses on the psycho-social community approach developed by the psychologist Simon Gasibirege (see interview).

In one of the workshops this morning, Dorcelle and her colleagues reflect on trauma. "What is trauma? How does it manifest? What consequences does it have?" asks the moderator. The women form small working groups that spread out around the hall and in the sunny garden outside. One woman says, "Trauma is a condition in which one feels disgusted with oneself and others. Some of us even faint when we recall what happened to us." Another one says: "People think of trauma as a psychological problem. They think we are mad and avoid us. But it is circumstances that have led to our condition." The consequences are severe. Many women report that they have nightmares and are in constant fear, which makes them withdrawn. "But when we meet here we regain confidence in ourselves," says one of the survivors.

It has been a strenuous day. It began with breathing exercises and prayer, followed by reading an introductory text on the topic of the day, meditation and interaction in small groups. Before they disperse, the women rub their hands and clap to release positive energy and share it with the group. "A spark of joy has been kindled. Although the memories continue to be painful, the faces are more relaxed every day. The participants draw on their inner reserves of strength and that of the group to keep going on with their lives," says the trainer Claude Nsanzabandi.

About 200km away at the outskirts of Bujumbura in Burundi, young women have similarly taken part in workshops for community healing. All of them were raped and became pregnant. Micheline is now 22 years old and has a two-year-old daughter who is busy chasing hens in the courtyard.

Inside the centre with turquoise walls that is run by the Nturengaho Association, she recounts, "It is thanks to these workshops that I can talk about it. I have opened up and feel lighter. Even my parents, who ill-treated me because my pregnancy brought shame on them, have calmed down. Nturengaho invited them over and they saw that others have also suffered the same fate. Their attitude to my child has changed." She adds another piece of good news: "We have set up a small savings and loan association. I work in the fields but I often come here to counsel women with similar problems and listen to them."

During the civil war in Burundi, rapes and sexual violence were commonplace. They continue to be widespread despite a ceasefire. Girls and young women are at greater risk. The Nturengaho Association with assistance from the SDC offers the victims medical, psycho-social, financial and legal support. "But also by lending an ear and empathising. That is critical," emphasises Micheline.