Communities impacted by large-scale conflict bear the visible scars in the form of mass destruction, injuries, and loss of life. But often the emotional scars, while less obvious, can be equally devastating and longer-lasting. As CapCon approaches the question of creating economic opportunities for such communities, it becomes immediately clear that people who aspire to thrive economically will be much more likely to succeed if they are thriving emotionally.
But is there a science-based approach to improving emotional well-being that can be implemented at scale to reliably help large numbers of people? In seeking the answer to this question, CapCon has been fortunate to create a partnership with the BreathBodyMind Foundation, an organization that focuses on the power of breath as the foundational element in creating positive mental states and improving mental health. By balancing the nervous system and using the body’s own internal communication network, breath-centered practices enhance individual well-being and resilience, which are essential for families and communities to flourish. The Breath-Body-Mind Foundation provides BBM training for non-profit and service organizations, as well as individuals working with disaster survivors, children, and underserved populations. They have served the needs of countries like Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, and Palestine, and the many countries that are hosting displaced children and families. The methods they developed to help traumatized children are being used to help children and families affected by war and other disasters.
Through our partnership with the Breath-Body-Mind Foundation, we can provide our on-the-ground meditative practice group, Ituze Mindfulness and Yoga Center in Rwanda, with a sort of superpower to extend its practice more effectively to surrounding communities and ultimately to other countries. For CapCon, this is one more critical step in building scalable systems to promote well-being in communities victimized by trauma.
