Tree of Life Trust of Zimbabwe

Tree of Life (ToL) is a registered Trust that has worked in Zimbabwe for more than 15 years, dealing specifically with victims of collective violence and torture. ToL has a number of interventions including: 1.Trauma Healing and empowerment: ToL’s trauma healing approach is home grown, but draws on a narrative therapy, and is adapted to incorporate cultural understandings of well-being and healing. The approach, which has been externally verified for effectiveness by the Centre for Victims of Torture, USA, facilitates victims to work through trauma, and uses the tree as an analogy for healing and draws a parallel between a tree and a human life. The ToL approach helps participants integrate and strengthen spiritual, emotional and physical aspects to heal and move forward in a healthy way. Victims are brought together in small numbers and work through a structured process of sharing and witnessing testimony telling, identifying the parts of their whole – past, present and future. 2. Psychosocial Awareness and Coping Skills (PACS) a 2 or 3-day workshop bringing together community leaders and community members in a safe space. Psychoeducation takes place on trauma and the impact of trauma at individual and community level. The group then unpack issues that cause trauma in their community and identify the barriers and enablers to community cohesion. This also serves to identify individuals who need to attend a Trauma Healing workshop. 3. Psychosocial First Aid workshops and ToT (to prepare communities for sudden shocks and trauma, e.g. elections/Covid-19); ongoing psychosocial support to address covid-19, suicide, SGBV and referrals for medical or psychological support etc, 4. Training for organisations in Trauma Awareness, Trauma Informed Programming and Self Care.