At AVSI we say that we want to make people “protagonists” of their own development. Here I saw a real example. These people, with all of their intersecting vulnerabilities, anxieties, scars and poverties, found a place where they could come together and be seen. This relationship, offered in a peaceful place, unlocked their learning potential. They were empowered to reconsider their preconceptions, and not to stop at reconsidering, but to actually apply their learning to their own families and relationships.