Healing Together

Abstract

AbstractAs part of the World Council of Churches’ pilgrimage of justice and peace, the Just Community of Wo/Men organized the “Walking Her‐Story” activity as a gender response. These have remained pilgrim team visits that focus on listening to the stories of wo/men young and old and particularly addressing gender injustice specifically as expressed in sexual and gender‐based violence. This article focuses on the process triggered by such stories in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and South Sudan that became the midwife that gave birth to Healing Together – an ecumenical resource for faith‐ and community‐based counselling of those psychosocially wounded by injustice and violence. Rooted in the understanding of mission as healing and wholeness, the stories listened to became a cry for healing and wholeness. The process and product benefited from the richness of my being an ethicist of care nurtured by my ubuntu (communitarian) ethical background, trained in Healing of Memories’ facilitation and as a student of Franklian logotherapy. I worked with survivors of injustice and violence, post‐traumatic stress disorder healing facilitators, and church leaders through the council of churches in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.