I have received two very different reports in the last month, but they capture the essence of why we do what we do. In Loom, we stand with people of power and wonder. We are convinced that equipping local people in their communities will bring wholeness to individuals, families, and communities. God desires for all humanity to thrive.
Sypora, a long-time trainer with Loom, just finished running a Celebrating Children Seminar (CCS) in Uganda. She sent in a report from one of the preschool teachers at a school we work with. Let’s call this teacher “*Emily”. Her story captures the pain of a child whose mother deserted the family, and the children went to live with a grandmother. They were then returned to the father, who made them work in the fields, did not allow them to go to school, and beat them. *Emily was on fire from these beatings. She is now 31; she has five children with three men, none of whom are involved in their children’s lives. She mercilessly beat her children, the oldest of whom is eleven.
*Emily concluded her story: “Since this workshop began, I have learned many good things: I used to see my children as burdens, but I have learnt that they are a gift and blessing from God. Psalm 127 :3 to 5 I have learned that children need love in a broken world and now I am trusting God to help me love and care for my children.”
This painful story captures much of what we often hear. A failed marriage, children passed between relatives, aging grandparents unable to continue to care for the children, and they go back into harmful situations. The treatment they received as children is what they then pass on. Often, the adult sees it as usual, not abuse, but the standard way to treat a child.
Our work focuses on breaking and preventing the cycle of abuse. A Celebrating Children Seminar can open the eyes of adults to evaluate the cycle they are repeating. A local trainer can continue to work with a participant to see behavior change. In a seminar, initial healing for the parent can take place as they open up about their childhood trauma. Each CCS combines the truth from scripture of God’s love for us and his commitment to all children, along with scientific research on child development, how a child’s brain develops, and how to address the trauma children have been exposed to.
It is easy to succumb to hopelessness, to say – Will she really change? How will we ever see transformation in a society with many broken families? In Loom, we constantly hear horrific stories, listen to painful stories, and sometimes want to run away. But then we also hear of changed families, healed relationships, communities that refuse to tolerate abuse, neighbors intervening and rescuing children. We hear and see the results of the commitment and the power and wonder of the people we work with. A letter we received last month is an example of this. Albert attended a trauma-informed care workshop with Loom in 2020. His feedback is the following story.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
