Contact Person
Lynn Walker
2 Wetmore Clause, Highlands, Harare
TOL is a non-governmental organisation whose vision is to create a healed and empowered society that puts its energy into processes of peace, recovery and reconciliation. We provide psychosocial community-based approaches that help people living with trauma to reconnect with self, nature, family and community.
Our core intervention is the Tree of Life Trauma Healing and Empowerment Workshop. Using the tree as a metaphor for life, a healing workshop combines the concepts of storytelling, healing of the emotions, reconnecting with the body and with nature, and re-establishing a sense of self-esteem and community.
The process is driven by survivors of organised violence and torture who, after undergoing the healing process, volunteer to help to heal others.
Over 150 volunteers have been trained as Tree of Life healing facilitators and over the last 14 years. Also, around 1495 trauma healing workshops have been held for close to 12,400 people. Tree of Life is a registered Trust (MA000900/2010).
Vision
A healed and empowered society that puts its efforts into peace, recovery and reconciliation.
Mission
To support communities, throughout Zimbabwe, in building peace and reconciliation from the bottom up, linking to national processes and activities as they emerge.
What We Do
- Trauma Healing & Empowerment (TH&E) workshops.
- Psychosocial Awareness & Coping Skills (PACS) workshops.
- Training and Technical support to Community Based Organisations (CBO’s) and to Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s).
- Support to cultural and socio-economic development (pro-peace) initiatives.
- Action Research and Reflection.
- Collaboration with other CSO’s and with other agencies to influence practice and policy.
Goals
- Healing People.
- Survivors of violence supported to heal and overcome past trauma.
- Helping others to heal others.
- Increased capacity to reach more people with healing and reconciliation processes.
- Linking healing to other aspects of community life.
- Increased social interaction and organized support systems at community level.
- Learning from and communicating about our work.
- Strengthened Research, Advocacy and Communications.
- Building the platform that best serves the work.
- Strengthened Organisational capacity.
