Post-Conflict Rebuilding: The Nehemiah Initiative
The Nehemiah Initiative brings different local communities together to help them reintegrate the most vulnerable populations: the handicapped, widows, orphans, and victims of sexual violence.
Beginnings
As HEAL Africa began to treat more patients from rural areas, it became evident that to send “mended” people back to the same situations was simply not safe, especially for the survivors of sexual violence, orphans, and widows. Augmented by the insecurity and resulting economic instability of their home villages, their vulnerability greatly disturbed the HEAL Africa staff.
HEAL Africa began to work with community and religious leaders to create a support structure for the most vulnerable populations in their communities. The goal of this work is to sensitize and mobilize community leaders to care for the vulnerable in their midst by supporting foster family programs, reintegration of widows and victims of sexual violence (many who have HIV/AIDS), and stimulating economic recovery through agriculture and small animal husbandry.
These initiatives took the name of “Nehemiah Committees”. In 2004, the first three committees were established, today there are more than fifty throughout rural villages in the surrounding region of Goma.
Faith-based Communities
The name for the program derives from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, where a community is mobilized to rebuild the walls of their destroyed city. Nehemiah Committees are locally selected by community members and represent all faiths and tribes in the community. The various faith communities (Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and indigenous church leadership) are at the heart of the work and the focus of the training.
Program Results
Within the first twelve months of beginning the program, 70 orphans were placed in foster homes and over 43 houses were built by the Nehemiah committee for returning widows. The program continues to flourish and expand.