OVERVIEW This module comprehensively outlines the concepts of community and healing so as to create an understanding of these concepts. It also presents an opportunity for peacebuilding practitioners, communities, researchers, policymakers and relevant institutions to explore, discover and reflect on the interconnectedness that exists between community healing and culture, development, leadership and memory/memorialisation. Development practitioners and policymakers undertaking community-healing-related work will deepen their insight into how community healing is linked to other activities. An appreciation of these interlinkages encourages the adoption of holistic and effective community healing strategies. Community healing should thus not be understood in isolation to other aspects of community life, such as culture (values, belief systems, history), development (both personal and community), leadership (styles, structures and priorities), and memory (memorialisation, history, spiritual and emotional needs). The Constitution of Zimbabwe (Ch. 12:6) establishes a National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) to ensure post-conflict justice, healing and reconciliation. AIM To promote understanding of the various facets of community healing. OBJECTIVES • To identify the various components of community healing • To link community healing and: »» culture »» development »» leadership »» memory. METHODOLOGY Disrobing exercise: Each participant speaks about his or her important position in society and sees such position as a ‘jacket’ which he or she should remove and hang somewhere with the promise to put it on only at the end of the training or session. The intention underlying this activity is to create a common platform on which participants are not held back by their positions of seniority or subordination. A word of caution: This may not be appropriate when working with traditional leaders. Brainstorming: The facilitator asks questions in order to initiate discussions among the participants. Small group discussions: Break the group of participants up into randomly created smaller groups of a minimum of three and a maximum five people of different social backgrounds and gender, where applicable. Give each group a predetermined question to discuss and to make presentation on in the plenary. Role play: Have the participants think of real or imagined problems and then let them demonstrate how best to find solutions to them. Show films or tell stories of actual events in other parts of the world, indicating how others responded to these. Then discuss the lessons learnt and what could be avoided in future. 2 Community Healing: A training manual for Zimbabwe