Catherine (Christian) and Hajiya Marwanatu (Muslim) were neighbours who lived peacefully in Kasuwan Magani community in Kaduna. In the year 2018, there was a religious crisis that claimed the lives and property of many. Catherine and Marwanatu were both victims of the atrocity. Catherine, whose only daughter and husband were massacred in front of her, she only survived by grace as the perpetrators argued among themselves with options to kill or let her live. Her home was set on fire and destroyed. Marwanatu's husband was also killed gruesomely and their house burned down to ashes.

Following the circumstances above, both victims became enemies, blaming each other's religion for their losses. Both Catherine and Marwanatu stopped talking and relating with each other for over a year. With the intervention of our peacebuilding activities on trauma healing, forgiveness and reconciliation, these women forgave each other and now relate as sisters, with a different parochial view of the past.

Today, both Marwanatu and Catherine are leading our "Women Peace Council", serving as peace champions and role models to others who are yet to go through a healing process from the past atrocities and still holding on to the past. These women and many others have gone through a psychologically dehumanizing experience with no humanitarian response or any form of assistance till date.