Healing Initiative among Acehnese Women in A Post-Conflict Area

Abstract

Acehnese women have been traumatized for a very long time through prolonged military wars, the tsunami calamity, and domestic abuse experiences. The NGO Women's Volunteers for Humanity (RPuK)-an organized women's group engaged in several therapeutic activities. Those women employed social gatherings, communal cooking, and gardening as therapeutic activities. The emotional connection between women who have had the same experience, as well as sharing experiences in activities associated with women and the home, have been successful in helping women overcome the trauma they have endured for such a long time. This does not require a complex healing theory as taught by major theories. This study explored the healing initiatives implemented by RPuK for women in post-conflict communities in North Aceh. RPuK has regular meetings with the assistance of The Asia Foundation and DFAT funding. This study aims to investigate alternative healing approaches used for women in post-conflict settings through ethnographic investigations. The healing paradigm for victims in post-conflict areas has been examined in numerous studies. To the circumstances and culture of the women who are being helped, RPuK adapts the healing notion that is learnt theoretically. Recognizing the sociocultural circumstances of the Acehnese people, who take great pride in maintaining their traditions and culture, as well as the practices of local women, RPuK uses meeting spaces, communal cooking, and the cultivation of medicinal plants. A powerful manifestation of this healing paradigm is the bravery of women to speak out about their experiences with domestic violence.