I am Antoinette and I belong to the vice-province of Rwanda-Kenya.
My mission is to teach holistic self-healing practices through a popular education approach, with the aim of helping people access their inner wisdom and power, emanating from their whole being (heart, body and mind), and become more active participants in the transformation of their society.
Capacitar is a Spanish verb meaning to empower or help someone to take ownership or reclaim their inner strength. Capacitar Rwanda is a local NGO created in 2006. It is also a branch of Capacitar International, which is based in California, USA.
How did the idea come about?
Psalm 23, which says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not fear any evil, he leads me and guides me…’ expresses my feelings of gratitude during my stay in the province of the USA in 2004-2006. I needed to catch my breath after the genocide in Rwanda. With hindsight, helped by prayer and support, I realised how deeply wounded and traumatised the Rwandan people were, without many resources to cope with our painful reality.
As stated in Article 94 of our constitutions : our mission brings us into contact with people and peoples of different cultures. Our training prepares us to meet them with respect for their values. A providential encounter took place with the foundress of Capacitar International in the USA when I was taking courses on spirituality and leadership (ISL). It was an unexpected answer from the Lord. Learning Capacitar and bringing it to Rwanda to my brothers and sisters affected by trauma due to violence, distress, isolation, loss of meaning of life… and giving them the means to heal themselves and transform their lives and their society.
In 2006, together with Capacitar foundress Dr Patricia Mathes Canes, we began travelling through the hills and villages of Rwanda to train Capacitar trainers and establish multipliers within the Rwandan population.
In 2008, Capacitar Rwanda was recognised by the government as a local non-profit NGO authorised to work throughout the country.
In our training and support programmes, Capacitar Rwanda prioritises women and children because they are the most vulnerable and most affected by violence. Several groups have been formed: widows, orphans and people affected by the genocide. We have trained clinical psychologists, teachers, students, people with disabilities, etc. We have reached at least 41.125 peoples.
Over the past ten years, our focus has been on single mothers. This is a group that feels socially stigmatised and rejected by our society, having lost their ability to provide for themselves and the support of their families. It is frowned upon to have a child outside of legal marriage. We try to support them, teach them how to manage their emotions, and restore their dignity and self-esteem. These psychological and social consequences lead to withdrawal from social and economic life. The health of our body, soul and spirit is constantly affected by trauma, violence, climate change, diet and daily challenges… Applying simple, ancient healing practices on a daily basis can help people remain in a state of peace and well-being every day. The challenge is to use them instinctively when we feel stressed, exhausted or when we want to refocus.
