SOUTH SUDAN
HEALING HEARTS AFTER WAR The MAF Peace and Reconciliation team flew to Kuajok in Warrap State from to run the three-day Healing Hearts and Transforming Nations workshop. The team, including Joseph Maluk, Raphael Joel, Michael Pajok and Sara Nema, led the workshop attended by 49 participants.
“We received a great welcome with a ceremonial washing of the feet of the facilitators, the way Jesus washed his disciples’ feet before he sent them out. I have never experienced that before,” reported lead facilitator Joseph on his return to Juba. “The 49 participants enjoyed the workshop. We could see the changes they were experiencing as the workshop progressed,” he says.
It is the fourth workshop for Sara who trained to become a facilitator earlier this year. “We had a lot of teenagers and youth attending. They really understood the topics. They asked a lot of questions,” she says. Sara was touched by the heart-breaking stories about family members who died and went missing during the war in Kwajok. The area faces many challenges including insecurity coming from the cattle keepers, a lack I was happy for the opportunity to share the of food and drinking water, and schooling for workshop with my people. When I see people children. getting help and accepting the teaching, it makes “My favourite parts are the Cross Workshop, me feel like we are coming together as South Standing in the Gap, and the Kings Table,” Sara Sudanese and putting the past behind us. said, naming three of the exercises that help participants to put their learning into action. The paramount chief urged the people to apply the teaching and made an appeal for MAF to come back and lead more workshops. For Joseph, it is the teaching on prejudice that is most impactful: “The teaching on prejudice is really very important – enlightening people to understand the harm 26
