Letters from the Field

November 21, 2004

Dear Friends,

Special greetings and Happy Thanksgiving Day to you! I am enjoying some beautiful fall days in California after a month of work in Africa. It has been a while since my last letter from the field, so I wanted to share new developments, as well as say THANK YOU for your friendship and support.

During my time in Southern Africa Capacitar celebrated the10th anniversary as a U.S. nonprofit organization (and 16 years as a project). Ten years ago when I was going through very challenging times I could never have imagined the growth and flowering of Capacitar in 25 countries. I was in Cape Town on this anniversary, October 31, graduating 30 women and men from our one-year training program in Multicultural Wellness Education. As this was going on, I received an email from Dublin from Capacitar coordinator, Toni Ryan, who reported that NGO (nongovernmental organization) status is moving along for Capacitar-Ireland. Tanzania coordinator Constancia Mbgoma and Pat Gallogly, MM, are proceeding with registration of Capacitar-Tanzania. Francoise Horenburg recently registered Capacitar as an NGO in Botswana. And NGO registration is also being pursued by coordinators Sharon Johnson, Sharon Ries and the team of South Africa.

The 60+ men and women who completed the Cape Town and Johannesburg trainings in 2004 in many ways reflect the growing global diversity and outreach of Capacitar: Black, Colored, Indian, White, and Afrikaner South Africans, along with participants from Europe and other African countries. Participants have taken Capacitar practices into many communities of need. Five persons came from the Rondebosh Police Trauma Counseling Centre funded by Cape Town Rotary (20 more persons working in prisons, police, AIDS and schools will be sponsored by Rotary for the 2005 training). Detective Captain Tony Penso said that the Capacitar practices have been invaluable tools for outreach to victims of violent crime. Ginn Fourie, founder of the Linde Fourie Foundation (in memory of her daughter who was murdered ten years ago) facilitates forgiveness workshops with the man who gave the command to kill her daughter. Together they work with ex-combatants and other perpetrators from all sides of the violence. Other participants include a manager of an agency working with a large group of African refugees, a human rights lawyer, and two women working with the Healing of Memories Project. An Afrikans woman who represents a Belgian funding agency is supporting the use of Capacitar with NGO staffs and development groups in Southern Africa. Another woman uses the practices in her work with San Bushmen in the Kalahari. The Directors of the Roselight Foundation in Ceres have learned Capacitar practices for outreach to abused women and children, prisoners and youth. Two participants are using Capacitar at Pollsmoor Prison. Berenice Daniels, school psychologist who supervises 240 schools in the Cape Town area, is planning to bring Capacitar into school programs as well as into the townships. Vimla Pillay, Regional Director of CANSA (Cancer Association of South Africa), is incorporating Capacitar into her caregiver program, work with families and staff development for the Western Cape. Six Joburg participants sponsored by SACBC (Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference) AIDS Office, use the practices in Soweto and other townships with orphans, youth, the elderly and families affected by HIV. And on and on goes the outreach! As a result of the year-long Multicultural Wellness training Capacitar is being multiplied many times over in Southern Africa.

Something similar is happening in Ireland. In Dublin three Multicultural Wellness trainings are scheduled into 2006 and will graduate approximately 80 men and women from Ireland and Northern Ireland. A fourth training will start next May in Belfast for another 30 participants from the North, leading ultimately to a Capacitar cross-border grassroots program. One of the interesting outcomes of the Ireland program is the international multiplication. Several missionaries participating in the training are taking Capacitar into other countries. Tony Sheridan, a priest working in Brazil, is teaching the work to hundreds of people dealing with stress and trauma in Rio. Carmel Bracken, a Mercy Sister, has taken Capacitar to Nigeria. Other religious are taking Capacitar to West African countries. And in Ireland and Northern Ireland outreach includes work with drug centers, recovery programs, shelters for domestic violence, schools, counseling, work with trauma, victims groups, and reconciliation programs.

In California similar programs are being offered in San Jose (sponsored by Catholic Charities and Presentation Center) and in Santa Barbara (sponsored by La Casa de Maria). Community application includes outreach to hospital systems, health promoters, refugees, schools, women's groups, youth at risk and recovery centers in the Santa Clara Valley and the greater Los Angeles area. The Center to BE in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has led the way in the US for the last four years collaborating on Capacitar trainings, with over 80 graduates from 6 Midwestern and Eastern states and 4 countries.

Stories from Southern Africa
As I reflect on all this new growth several stories from the field stand out.
On Monday and Tuesday of this past week I worked in Manzini, Swaziland with 52 AIDS caregivers, nurses and youth leaders. About a third of this group had participated in my 2003 training sponsored by SACBC (Southern Africa Catholic Bishops Conference) AIDS office. Swaziland currently ranks (by UN statistics) highest in the world for HIV/AIDS with 38.7% of the population infected I have grown to love the Swazis with their joyful way of singing and dancing at the slightest provocation. Some of the veteran participants shared how the practices had helped them personally to keep on going as they face the growing number of orphans and the death of loved ones. One woman touchingly said that her heart and body were healed. Youth with full blown AIDS shared that their pain was gone and that they had so much more energy. I no longer doubt the small miracles of healing as pain and body symptoms release with the use of the Capacitar practices. For poor people having no money and few resources, to be able to do something for yourself to alleviate pain and suffering is itself a miracle. Sofizo, a vibrant youth leader of last year, came this time looking gaunt as if he were waiting to die. I gave him a Guatemalan friendship bracelet and told him that he had many Capacitar friends in other countries. Knowing that you are not alone and feeling the connection with a larger community of concerned people is so important especially to the youth. We talked about living each moment fully whether you are in your teens or in your 60s or 70s.

In KwaZulu/Natal (in the north eastern corner of South Africa) 60 men and women came from many villages around Hlabisa and Mtubatuba to participate in the SACBC AIDS training. One friend in development said that the probable rate of HIV infection for this region is around 47+%. This was my first time with this Zulu group that included many youth as well as the older generation. They were curious and at first cautious about all the "different" Capacitar practices. But by the second day and with a good night's sleep, everyone was feeling so much better that they eagerly wanted to learn more. Whenever I start a training I always ask "What do you want?" Working with my young Zulu translator, Thulani, I was taken aback to hear such direct responses: "I want AIDS to end. I want people to stop dying." And most poignantly from a granny: "Everyone is dying and who is going to take care of us?" The grannies are the hardest hit: They accompany the dying of their children, and are then left to care for all their grandchildren. With no one to earn an income or work the fields to support and feed the family, there is so much frustration in this statement as it comes from the mouth of an old Zulu woman: "Who will take care of us!" And my heartfelt response to this is: "I've been sent here to care for you, to teach you how to care for yourself and how to care for each other as caregivers."

When I arrived in South Africa in mid October I was saddened to hear of the death of Mary Rodolo a caregiver who had been part of our Joburg training as well as the SACBC training of 2003. Mary was a person with an immense heart, an angel of untiring compassion who gave to all. Her friends Phindi and Nozi were commissioned to deliver a Capacitar friendship bracelet in her memory to her family.

Some questions to ponder
During my recent times in Europe and Africa I was frequently asked: "What do you feel about the elections?" In every country I visited there was widespread concern and dismay. In answer I tried to share my own reflections and concerns. And I also described why we started Capacitar back in the mid 1980s in response to the violence and destruction of so many communities in Central America by our US foreign policy. Capacitar began during the war years in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to offer arms of love and healing to people instead of arms and weapons of destruction. And so we are committed to walk with people in humility and solidarity as one way to bring healing and forgiveness.

As I wander around in so many places I am also asked "Don't you get tired of all the travel?" And my usual response is: "Yes, but I am trying to learn how to bi-locate so I don't have to get on another airplane! In the meantime I am training and mentoring as many people as possible so they can awaken to their own wisdom and possibilities and take on the work in their own culture. Then I can retire and sit back in my rocking chair!"

On another level of response to this query I feel so grateful and blessed to be working with so many angels of the world who bring hope and healing in the face of such violence and suffering. My job is to give them loving support, some joyful moments and a few tools to lighten their grief and burden. And what else would I be doing at my age!

So in the spirit of thanksgiving, as we celebrate the best of our American tradition, I send you my deep gratitude and love for your friendship and support!

With peace and blessings,
Pat Cane