Clothed with Compassion

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12.

Mandisa's Compassion*

When an instance of child abuse is discovered, the victims and their caretakers often enter into a long process - getting the child to safety and seeking physical, emotional, economic, social, and legal restoration in the aftermath of the traumatic event. While each facet of rehabilitation is important in equipping children to thrive, not all specialists in these fields interacting with vulnerable children are equipped to respond in a way that promotes resilience and demonstrates compassion. 

Mandisa works at a Zimbabwe based nonprofit that offers legal aid to young people who are victims of gender based violence. She and 11 of her coworkers had the opportunity to undergo RiverCross training with the intent of better of serving the families and children in their program.

Mandisa admitted she would often become frustrated with some of the children when they behaved mischievously, "I would quickly turn them away or give them a cold shoulder because I wanted them to be well behaved children." However, after listening to the dramatized stories that reflect the stories of her clients and learning common trauma response behaviors, Mandisa is now able to empathize with the children - even the misbehaving ones, when they come through her office. She has even noted that previously her attitude toward the kids would fuel their bad behavior, but now she is able to establish genuine connections with them as she continues to grow in compassion toward their situations. 

Mandisa and her team are grateful for the training that has better equipped them to empower children and their families in the legal battles against child exploitation and gender based violence. Not only have they grown in knowledge and compassion themselves, but Mandisa's team is already using their new skills to educate others in the legal system on the complexities of trauma responses and the compassion required to set children free to thrive.

*Although the stories we share are true, some identifying details have been changed.