Fr Isaiah has been with Irawi Catholic Parish, Hela Province, for 10 years. For the past three years he has been leading teams of mediators in a peacebuilding ministry that seeks to address the high levels of tribal fighting in Hela.

His teams, who frequently witness violence and hear retellings from survivors, have to tread a careful path to maintain neutrality and bring fighting parties to a resolution. The work can take its toll. 

“We focus more on helping others that are survivors of violence and prolonged crises,” shared Fr Isaiah. “We forget that we, too, as mediators of these issues, can be affected as well.”

“Self-care is paramount for us because we are the middle men when it comes to conflict resolution and reaching a decision that is agreeable for the conflicting parties.”

Fr Isaiah’s 16 mediators work across Koroba and Tari. They were joined by mediators from the United Church from Komo-Magarima for a two-day workshop on psychological first aid, facilitated by UNFPA with support from UN Women. As part of a joint programme to support local peacebuilding efforts in the Highlands Region, UNFPA and UN Women delivered sessions on self-care, non-violent communications, and psychological first aid strategies for supporting survivors of violence. 

According to Fr. Isaiah, not only has this training showed the participants the importance of self-care, but also opened their eyes to the different ways conflict and crises, including environmental events, can affect individuals and communities, and how strategies can be implemented to help these individuals and communities cope. 

“Most times we just look at the local context of addressing issues and we seek to address what we see on the surface,” said Fr Isaiah. “But now, with this training, we are aware that survivors can be affected physically,  emotionally, socially, and also their behavior too.” 

“We’ve also come to understand that not all communications are helpful to survivors of violence and crisis. We are grateful for the communication aspect of this training and for learning how to communicate in a manner with survivors that is more understanding of their circumstances,” Fr. Isaiah said.

UNFPA and UN Women’s support to peacebuilding in the HIghlands Region aims to address the underlying causes of conflict responsible for the cycle of inter-group violence by providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to women, men, and youth. Engaging local mediators is key to the sustainability of these efforts. 

Fr. Isaiah, on behalf of the three mediation teams, expressed his gratitude for the training and said, according to one of his mediators, ’it was like going to school for the first time.’

“Thank you UNFPA and UN Women. We will fully utilize what we have learnt and will prioritize our self-care when dealing with issues too.”

Earlier this year, UNFPA conducted a psychological first aid training with partners in Laiagam, Porgera, and Kompiam-Ambum as part of the organisation’s response to ongoing fighting in Enga Province.