Capacitar Global Network: Partners & Contacts
The following are contacts and partners in some of the countries where Capacitar works. Email the contact listed or consult the Capacitar calendar for current public trainings or to discuss scheduling for your group.
Argentina
Capacitar practices were introduced in Argentina by the Capacitar-Chile team in 1999. In 2004 Capacitar began a collaboration with Los Cerezos Eco-Spirituality Center and Pat Cane, Capacitar International founder and director, facilitated workshops for grassroots women and trauma healing workshops for professionals. Los Cerezos continues to offer Capacitar as part of their program in Neuqén and, bi-annually, Pat Cane facilitates Capacitar International trainings. In 2014 Capacitar celebrated its 10th anniversary, and in 2019 it 15th anniversary in Argentina.
Contact: Los Cerezos Eco-Spirituality Center: loscerezossur@gmail.com Tel: (0294) 15-463-0444
Advisors: Susana Diaz, MD and Sarita Flies, MA
Brazil
The Capacitar-Chile team introduced Capacitar to Brazil in 1998. In 2007-2008 an in-depth training was facilitated by Capacitar International Trainer Mary Litell in collaboration with Tony Sheridan CSSp, Capacitar Brazil Coordinator. The Brazil program continues to grow under the guidance of Tony Sheridan and his team. Manuals for use in schools and communities have been translated to Portuguese by Noeli Boehm OSF.
Contact: Tony Sheridan: acsheridan@uol.com.br
Advisors: Tony Sheridan CSSp and Geraldo Blanti
Chile
Capacitar International has offered workshops and team development for grassroots leaders since 1992. The Capacitar-Chile team offers workshops throughout Chile and in other South American countries. It has a Wellness center for workshops and retreats. In 2010-2011, Capacitar International facilitated a Trauma Healing Training led by Mary Litell, OSF, for 40 women so they could respond to the needs of people traumatized by the 2010 earthquake and tsunami.
Contact: Mary Judith Ress, PhD: judyress@yahoo.com
Advisor: Mary Judith Ress, PhD
Colombia
Capacitar International held its first workshops in Bogotá, Cali, Buenaventura and Medellin in 2001 in collaboration with the Franciscan network. Capacitar-El Salvador continued the trainings in 2003. The American Friends Service Committee sponsored the publication of the Spanish version of the Capacitar Trauma Healing and Transformation Manual. Patty Abozaglo, of Capacitar Ireland, continues to offer workshops in collaboration with grassroots groups in different areas of Colombia.
Contact: Patty Abozaglo pattyabozaglo@gmail.com
Peru
Our initial workshops in Peru were offered in Independencia and pueblos jovenes (poor areas) around Lima in 1993-1995. Workshops continued to be led for different groups through the early 2000s by Capacitar Chile.
A new cycle of trainings, led by Pat Cane, began in 2012 in San Juan de Lurigancho, near Lima, sponsored by Sr. Peg O’Rourke, PBVM and the Presentation Sisters of Hampi Wasi and Nano Nagle Center; Sr. Mary Ondreyco, SNJM, and the Holy Names Sisters of Centro Maria Rosa; and Sr Mary Dwyer SJ of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Australia. Three levels of trainings, as well as leadership training, were offered in 2013, 2014 and 2015 with hundreds of participants from areas around Lima and other parts of Peru.
In 2014, a Rotary partnership was developed between Catalina Rotary of Tucson, Arizona, Rotary Foundation and 4 Rotary clubs in the Lima area (Manchay, San Juan Miraflores, St. Martin de Porres, and Villa Maria del Triunfo) to offer Capacitar trauma healing workshops to over 250 partici- pants impacted by poverty, domestic violence and the years of political violence. A Capacitar team from Tucson led the workshops. Participants were responsible for replicating what they learned with at least 5 other persons in their work and families.
In 2015, a second round of workshops was offered to the same communities by Pat Cane and Maria Elena McElroy, also sponsored by Rotary. The purpose of the return visit was to research the impact of the use of the Capacitar practices by the 250 participants. Findings showed a significant multiplication of the practices by returning participants, as well as change in the way participants reported handling stress and trauma healing.
Nicaragua
Capacitar was born in Nicaragua in 1988. In collaboration with CANTERA, Center for Popular Education, workshops have been offered to thousands of grassroots leaders, educators, religious, psychologists and social workers. CANTERA includes Capacitar practices in its natural medicine outreach program. Yearly trainings and workshops are facilitated at CANTERA by Capacitar International trainer Mary Litell OSF.
Contact: Anabel Torres, CSA anabel@ibw.com.ni or anabeltorres27@gmail.com
Advisor: Anabel Torres, CSA
Panama
Training in Panama was sponsored by the Center for Study and Social Action (CEASPA) with funding from Organización Internacional para las Migraciones. Since these first workshops programs have been offered for many groups focused on trauma healing, refugee issues, and healing gender violence. Programs on self-care for those working to heal gender violence have been funded by PNUD, the UN Development Program, in different regions of the country. A Capacitar team led by Alibel Pizarro of Panama City and Isali Pizarro of Colón develops Capacitar trainings throughout the country. The 10th anniversary of Capacitar Panamá was celebrated in 2020.
Contact: Alibel Pizarro: alibelpizarro@hotmail.com Tel: 507-6576-1962
Advisors: Alibel Pizarro and Isali Pizarro
El Salvador
Capacitar International began work in El Salvador in 1994. A national team received training and continued to provide workshops for local groups and organizations in the following years. The El Salvador team hosted two Central America Regional Conferences, one in 1998 and one in 2000. Participants came from Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala to join Capacitar International leadership for workshops and sharing of experiences.
Training for another group is planned for 2021 in Chalatenango.
Contact: Joan Condon jcondon@igc.org
Honduras
Capacitar has collaborated with Centro Visitación Padilla in Tegucigalpa since 1994 to provide Capacitar trainings to grassroots leaders, the indigenous, healers, psychologists and social workers as well as personnel from the prison system. Centro Visitación Padilla has trained people in Capacitar practices as part of their outreach work and their domestic violence program.
Guatemala
Capacitar has worked in Guatemala since 1993, with workshops and trainings offered to human rights groups, the food unions, religious, women’s organizations and grassroots groups. For over 20 years Capacitar has collaborated with groups in the Quiché, the area most impacted by the 36 years of war and violence.
Currently, Capacitar founder Pat Cane facilitates trainings at the Barbara Ford Peace Center in Santa Cruz del Quiché by working with Mayan health promoters who are focused on healing gender violence in their communities.
Contact: Sr. Virginia Searing, SC vsearing@gmail.com Sandra Quixtan squixtan@cenpaz.org
Advisors: Sr. Virginia Searing, SC, Sandra Quixtan
Mexico
Capacitar International has offered workshops in Mexico since 1996 providing workshops for grassroots human rights leadership in Chiapas, for community groups in Tijuana, for teachers parents and students in León, and in collaboration with Borderlinks in Nogales Arizona. Trainings in self-care for activists have also been offered in collaboration with the Consorcio de las Mujeres de Mesoamérica.
A bi-national Texas/Mexico border team, Capacitar en la Frontera, currently works with communities in Ciudad Juarez affected by the ongoing drug cartel violence. A self-care manual for Human Rights Activists and Families of the Disappeared was developed in collaboration with CEDEHM, the Chihuahua Office of Human Rights for Women.
Trainings have also been offered for the State of Chihuahua Human Rights Office in collaboration with CEAVE, Comisión Ejecutiva de Atención a Victimas del Estado de Chihuahua.
Contact in Ciudad Juarez: Arlene Woelfel arlene@sssf.org
Contact in Chihuahua: Cony Cruz Chavez conycch@hotmail.com
Advisors for Ciudad Juarez: Arlene Woelfel, SSSF and Claudia Brandeis
Haiti
In response to the 2010 earthquake that killed thousands of people and devastated a good part of the capital, Port Au Prince, and surrounding areas, Capacitar began outreach to NGO’s and church groups in 2011. Trainings followed for several organizations and a Capacitar team has been established that continues to share Capacitar practices. Additional trainings are planned in 2020.
Contact: Pere Frantz Cole colefrantz@hotmail.com
Advisor: Pere Frantz Cole
Canada
Capacitar first began work in Canada over 12 years ago with trainings offered in Toronto, Winnipeg and Victoria. Currently there are 4-module and advanced formation trainings scheduled in Toronto, coordinated by the Capacitar Canada team and coordinator Rev. Joan Silcox Smith.
Contact: Rev. Joan Silcox Smith jsilcoxsmith@gmail.com
Advisor: Joan Silcox Smith
United States
Capacitar has offered programs in the US for people of all ages for more than 25 years. It works in collaboration with migrant and refugee services, schools, Head Start programs, spirituality centers, women’s groups, recovery programs, religious congregations, universities and health systems.
California Contact: Sheila Grady, Encino Training Coordinator, sgrady@capacitar.org
El Paso, Texas Contact: Kathy Revtyak, CapacitarFrontera@gmail.com or KRevtyak@epcgc.org (El Paso Child Guidance Center)
McAllen, Texas Contact: Rebecca Stocker r.stocker@hfhcenter.org Nancy Saenz n.saenz@hfhcenter.org (Hope Family Health Center)
Arizona Contact: Sharyn Chesser svchesser@cox.net (Tucson area)
Alaska Contact: Linda Chamberlain, PhD drlindachamberlain@gmail.com
United Kingdom
England
Capacitar began outreach in England in 2006 coordinated by Margaret Wilson RSCJ at Sacred Heart School in Hammersmith. In depth trainings since 2007 in Hammersmith and Barat House, University of Roehampton, London, have involved teachers, psychologists, social workers, caregivers, religious, chaplains, and those working with women, refugees, youth, the aging and international development.
The Multicultural Wellness Education Trainings were initiated in 2014 in Durham, St. Antony’s Priory, under the leadership of Rev. Paul Golightly. In 2020 Margaret and Paul led the fourth course in Durham and 4-module trainings have started in London, York, Norfolk (Norwich) and Birmingham. Advanced formation days are also offered in Durham, as well as outreach work in the Newcastle area particularly focused on the recovery community and schools.
Regular groups are run in York, Derby and Norwich by Capacitar trained leaders.
Contacts: www.capacitaruk.org
Paul Golightly capacitaralbion@outlook.com
Advisors: Margaret Wilson, RSCJ and Rev. Paul Golightly
Wales
In 2010, Mary Jo McElroy, RSHM, inaugurated the first Capacitar Care for Caregivers workshops at Noddfa Retreat Center, Penmaenmaw. Now, Pat Cane, Capacitar Founder facilitates yearly Capacitar trainings there. Ongoing activities at Noddfa include regular Capacitar practices.
Contacts/Advisors: Mary Jo McElroy, RSHM: Maryjo.mcelroy@aol.co.uk
Patrice Power, RSHM: Patricepower5@aol.com
Noddfa Retreat Center: noddfapen@aol.com Tel:44-1492623473
Scotland
In 2018 Capacitar Scotland proudly celebrated 10 years of offering trainings
and workshops. Six groups numbering well over 100 participants have been trained in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perthshire. The practices are now used across Scotland with refugees, rape crisis groups, school classes, students, the elderly, midwives, expectant mothers, drug/alcohol recovery groups, spiritual accompaniment groups, cancer support groups, as well as in individual sessions with professional counselors.
Contact: Nancy Adams capacitarscotland@gmail.com
Advisors: Nancy Adams, Marianne Anker Petersen, Ali Newell
Ireland / Northern Ireland
The first Capacitar workshops were given in Ireland by Pat Cane in Dublin in 2003 coordinated by Toni Ryan. The first Multicultural Wellness Education Training began in 2004. Kathleen Day, IJS, coordinated the Capacitar network until 2016. In the following years, 14 trainings were facilitated by Pat Cane; in Banbridge, Lurgan, Armagh, Dublin, Cork, Galway and Carlow. Participants were from all professions and have integrated Capacitar practices into their work.
In 2006, Capacitar Ireland was established as a charitable organization and continues to offer workshops and trainings. Members of Capacitar Ireland have been involved in outreach in Sri Lanka after the tsunami, in Peru after the earthquake and in Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, Colombia and Brazil.
Contact: Fiona Cody capacitar.ireland1@gmail.com www.capacitar-ireland.org
Advisors: Marian Baker, Ann Brady, RSM, Patricia Abozaglo, MA
Germany
The first Capacitar workshops in Germany were led by Sr. Ingrid Janisch of DR Congo in 2016, sponsored by Missio (Catholic Development Agency) and coordinated by Anke Reermann of the Diocese of Aachen. Because of the great interest in learning more Capacitar practices to be used by groups working with refugees, a first 4-module training, led by Capacitar Founder Pat Cane, was organized in 2018-2019 in Aachen with 35 participants from different areas of Germany. A second training was also organized for Zwochau, Eastern Germany with 30 participants. Pat Cane was also a presenter at a Trauma Conference at Catholic University of Aachen that focused on new approaches for trauma healing. Capacitar manuals and training materials have been translated into German. Trainings and advanced formation are scheduled for 2020-2021.
Contact/Advisor: Anke Reermann Anke.Reermann@bistum-aachen.de
Afghanistan
Capacitar International began work in Afghanistan in April 2015 in collaboration with the 8th Day Center, Border Free Nonviolence Community and Afghan Peace Volunteers. Workshops were given for young men and women of the Border Free Communities, street children and women members of a sewing group. Since 2016, Capacitar Afghanistan team of Pat Cane and George Horan, both counseling psychologists, have visited Kabul usually two times a year offering workshops and individual and group counseling sessions. The Afghan Peace Volunteers Self-care/Psychology Committee offers themes for the workshops to be developed.
Contact/Advisor: Dr. Hakim Young, MD borderfree@mail2world.com
Israel
Capacitar’s first workshops in the Middle East started in 2007 facilitated by Juliet Spohn Twomey and Capacitar founder Pat Cane in collaboration with Women in the Center in Nazareth. The Capacitar Middle East Network was founded by Lora Hillel, Asmahan Mansur and Ronit Zur with trainings offered at Kadarim in the Northern Gallilee. Participants came from many parts of Israel and multiplied the Capacitar work in schools, community centers, refugee centers, women’s organizations. Currently, there are active groups in a number of areas.
Contacts / Advisors: Ronit Zur, ronitzur123@gmail.com Lora Hillel, loralih@gmail.com
Palestine
Workshops and trainings have been offered in the Palestinian Territories (Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem and Nazareth) since 2008 with focus on social workers, teachers, community leaders, medical professionals and women’s groups. Since 2015, Capacitar founder, Pat Cane, and Eilda Zaghmout have offered 3-module trainings and advanced formation training at Beit Shams, a healing center in Beit Jala.
Contacts/Advisors: Eilda Zaghmout eilda@shams.ps ezaghmout@gmail.com Itaf Awad itaf.awad@gmail.com
Indonesia
Capacitar International began work in Indonesia in 2002 at the invitation of Fr. Terry Pranomban. Initial workshops for humanitarian and peace activists from Aceh, Poso and Ambon were followed by intensive trainings for multipliers (TOM). Multipliers now share the Capacitar practices empowering people to heal from trauma and stress. Graduates of the trainings have formed Capacitar Nusantara to continue the sharing of Capacitar practices. A training cycle facilitated by Capacitar International trainer Joan Condon is planned for 2021.
Contact: Yudi Ardianto: yudi_ardianto@yahoo.com Tel: 62-81747-22100 Ita Sugito: jp_sugito@yahoo.com Tel: 62-81808-483131
Advisor: Nina Jusuf
Timor Leste
After the violence that followed East Timor’s vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999, Capacitar was invited to offer workshops to survivors. Mary Litell and Joan Condon facilitated the first workshops in 2001. Both workshops for organizations and community groups and national trainings of multipliers were offered in the ensuing years. Those trained include teachers, NGO staff, health workers, students and community members.
Contact/Advisor: Maria Dias lalupunu@gmail.com
The Philippines
Capacitar International was invited to offer introductory trainings in the Philippines in 2017 by Diana McDermott of the Philippine Solar Village Project. Trainings led by International Trainer Joan Condon for school staff, teachers, students, religious, NGO staff, police, social workers, and health workers have followed as well as two 3-module trainings of trainers. Additional trainings are planned in 2020.
Philippine team members continue to share Capacitar practices through their own networks and to respond to natural disasters, such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes, to aid survivors.
Contact: Diana McDermott diana.mcdermott@att.net
Japan
On March 11, 2011 a 9.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the northeastern coast of Japan creating tsunami waves that caused the deaths of over 18,000 people and resulted in the destruction and meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In response to the trauma of the Japanese people and at the invitation of Maryknoll Sister Kathleen Reiley, MM, Capacitar began trainings in June 2013. Nineteen workshops were offered to over 300 persons impacted by the disaster in Ishinomaki, Fukushima, Ofunato, Minamisouma, Sendai and Tokyo. Due to the interest in the Capacitar practices, materials have been translated into Japanese, and trainings were offered from 2014 through 2019.
A Capacitar Japan team has formed coordinated by Sr. Eiko Maki, CSJ, for coordination, administration, study groups and outreach in many prefectures of the country. Capacitar International continues to facilitate the Multicultural Wellness and Advanced trainings in collaboration with the Japan team.
Contact: S. Eiko Maki, CSJ: eikocsj@gmail.com www.facebook.com/CapacitarIJ/
Advisors: Eiko Maki, CSJ, Tsugumi Fujita, Yuko Oyama
Korea
The Sewol Ferry disaster of April 2014 impacted the people of South Korea with profound grief, shock, depression and rage, as 304 passengers died (250 were high school students on a holiday). To respond to the national tragedy Capacitar founder Pat Cane was invited to lead trauma healing and self-care trainings in collaboration with the Korean Center for Nonviolent Communication (KRNVC) in Seoul. Over 330 men and women came to the first Capacitar trainings and presentations. Participants included members of the nonviolent communication community, facilitators, university professors, teachers, psychologists, social workers, religious, trauma counselors, nurses, medical professionals, police, those working in restorative justice, persons working to heal. A second cycle of workshops and trainings was offered in 2015 coordinated by the KRNVC team. 2017 included a week of trauma healing trainings and outreach to teachers.
Contact: Katherine Singer, NVC Director, ksinger@krnvc.org nvc@krnvc.org
Advisors: Katherine Singer
Democratic Republic of Congo
The first workshops were offered in 2009 in Bukavu, Congo DRC, by Dr. Genevieve van Waesberghe, MMM. Participants included religious, social workers and parish workers doing outreach to women, internal refugees, child soldiers, children accused of witchcraft, and victims on ongoing violence in the region.
In 2010, Genevieve worked in Goma under the auspices of Jesuit Refugee Services in four refugee camps with women victims of rape, children and youth, as well as with UN and JRS staffs. In Bukavu, she led workshops for the Association of Religious of Congo for religious working with youth, women’s groups and vulnerable children.
In February and October 2012, Geneviève was invited by Protection International with the support of Amnesty International (Netherlands section) to introduce 30 Human Rights Defenders (HRD) from 13 organizations to Capacitar. The aim was to offer the participants simple tools for Stress Management and to enable them to integrate Self-Care in their lives, both individually and as a team. Self-Care is an essential element of their activism.
Presently, Sr. Ingrid Janisch leads the Capacitar North Kivu team which offers trainings to schools, teachers and grassroots leaders in the area.
Contact: S. Ingrid Janisch ingridjanisch@yahoo.fr
Advisor: Sr. Ingrid Janisch
Rwanda
The first workshops and trainings led by Pat Cane in Butare and Kigali were offered in 2006 at the invitation of Capacitar Rwanda Founder/Director Sr. Antoinette Gasibirege, SH, and Dr. Genevieve van Waesberghe, MD, MMM, Founder of Igiti c ‘bungingo. To date Sr. Antoinette and the Capacitar Rwanda team have trained nearly 40,000 people. Participants include genocide survivors, persons with HIV/AIDS, genocide widows, single mothers, children who head households, school children, teachers, social workers, psychologists and trauma counselors, parish groups and staffs, organizations involved in development, the rural poor, health workers and religious congregations of men and women.
Capacitar Rwanda is a registered nonprofit organization in Rwanda with an office in Kigali. Capacitar training materials and manuals have been published in French, English and Kinyarwandan.
Contact: Sr. Antoinette Gasibirege, SH www.capacitarrwanda.org agasibirege@gmail.com
Tanzania
The first workshops and trainings in Tanzania were in Mwanza and Arusha in 2002-2004 coordinated by Pat Gallogly MM, and Costancia Mbogoma. Those trained have offered outreach to schools, religious, teachers, HIV/AIDS patients, caregivers, families, domestic violence centers, single mothers, street children, trade centers, prisons, refugees, clinics and pastoral centers.
In 2010, Dr. Genevieve van Waesberghe, MMM offered sessions in Arusha. Among the participants were mental health professionals, women from the Shia Muslim Community and educators working with children with special needs and disabilities. A Trauma Healing and Transformation training was completed in 2011. Participants included the personnel of the Arusha Mental Health Trust and several of their community outreach partners, some of them working with youth, schools and mentally challenged children.
Trainings in the region continue to be offered by Sr. Genevieve and Constancia.
Contact: Dr. Genevieve van Waesberghe, MMM genovevammm@gmail.com
Advisors: Dr. Genevieve van Waesberghe, MMM, Constancia Mbgoma
Kenya
In 2002 and 2003, Mary Litell, OSF and Pat Cane, Capacitar Founder offered the first Capacitar trainings in Nairobi. Under the auspices of Jesuit Refugee Services, participants included Jesuit Refugee Services staff and refugees from 5 countries living in the Kakuma Camp. Capacitar trainings also included workshops at the Maryknoll Center House in Nairobi and outreach in Nairobi’s largest slum, Kibera. Trainings continue to be offered in the region by Dr. Genevieve van Waesbergher, MMM.
Contact: Genevieve van Waesberghe, MMM genovevammm@gmail.com
South Africa
The first Capacitar workshops in South Africa were offered in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and KwaZulu/Natal IN 2002 to 2003. They focused on trauma and on care for caregivers working with people with HIV/AIDS. The SACBC (Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference) AIDS Office sponsored retreat workshops for caregivers (2003-2006) and the development of the Capacitar HIV/AIDS Living in Wellness Manual. Seven in-depth trainings and four team trainings have been offered in different regions of the country. Capacitar workshops, manuals and materials and an outreach network are currently coordinated regionally in the Western Cape, Port Elizabeth and East London under the auspices of different organizations.
Although a formal Capacitar program is not currently being offered, Capacitar methods are incorporated into the work of many organizations: Aids Response, St. Luke’s Hospice, among others. Sharon Johnson, PhD. has incorporated Capacitar methods in the curriculum of the psychology departments of several universities for teacher self-care. Her dissertation addresses the burnout of teachers in high risk schools in the Western Cape. Workshops and trainings for caregivers, teachers, religious and social workers are also offered in Port Elizabeth by Moira Boshoff.
Contacts: Dr. Sharon Johnson, PhD shajohnsonbus@gmail.com, shajohnson@mweb.co.za, Moira Boshoff moiraboshoff2@gmail.com
