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Genocide Survivors Change Lives Through EMU Program

By Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record

Not all treasures are locked away in banks or buried in chests beneath the ocean.

Last week, one classroom on Eastern Mennonite University’s campus housed one such treasure.

Tucked away in a second floor room, 16 people from all over the world gathered for the STAR program, which teaches them how to help others cope after traumatic events such as genocide, terrorism and mass murder.

But what makes these folks exceptional, even rare, program officials say, has nothing to do with stature, wealth or popularity.

"Their experiences are what make them incredible," said program director Carolyn Yoder. "Several [students] are genocide survivors and they’re turning around and rebuilding society. Others are still living in the midst of trauma, and yet, they are beacons of light."

Here are a few of their stories.

Ugandan Treasure

Gladys Oyat, 43, is the principal of a girls boarding school in northern Uganda. Each night, more than a thousand villagers flock to her school and sleep inside the classrooms and hallways.

But why?

About three years ago, she explained, the Ugandan government invaded Sudan to capture a rebel group. But when the government lost, the group returned the invasion.

Oyat’s building is one of three in her village, which are protected at night with armed guards.

The phenomenon, Oyat said, is called "night commuting."

But Oyat’s trauma doesn’t end there.

Her husband used to be a veterinarian. But since fighting broke out, most of the pets in the region were killed. These days, she said, he works as a peacekeeper, which keeps him away for weeks at a time.

They have four children, but they rarely see them, either.

"I keep them at a boarding school in the city," she said. "When they are there, I know they are safe."

Last week, Oyat came to EMU to learn how to help others who, like her, deal with the night commuters.

"I’ve attended so many funerals, but I’m still here," she said. "As long as we are still alive, we can still continue to work for peace."

Other Treasures

Moussa David Ntambara, 46, lost his entire family in the Rwandan genocide of the mid-1990s.

After recovering, he worked as a peacekeeper with the United Nations and is now a private contractor.

"After the genocide, the manifestation of trauma increased dramatically," he said. "Trauma [related] symptoms seem to show up later, after things have settled. I’m here to learn how to help."

The stories continue.

Four Cambodian genocide survivors and another Rwandan survivor learn alongside a Bosnian priest, an Ecuadorian lawyer for indigenous people, and five Americans.

Even the locals’ stories, officials say, are impressive.

Virginia Foley, 64, of Washington, D.C., lost her husband to terrorists while they were in Jordan. Another American student’s father was killed in New York City on Sept. 11.

And Jennie Amison, 56, of Harrisonburg, who’s never had family members killed, says she’s there to learn how to help.

"Hearing their stories opened up a whole new world for me," said Amison. "You think we have problems with the gas prices or whatever. No. These are real problems, and people are working to fix them. I’m a different person."

— article by: Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record; posted June 23, 2006