Tree of Life

The Tree of Life Trust Zimbabwe 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 community-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) approaches that help people living with trauma to reconnect with self, nature, family and community.

Between 2003 and September 2018 we have:

Facilitated over 1527 trauma healing workshops for close to 12,600 victims of organised violence and torture
Trained over 150 community-based survivors as volunteer trauma healing facilitators
Provided psychoeducation workshops for over 1500 people, including community leaders, youth, women, communities and NGO staff
Trained over 70 community-based survivors to conduct psychoeducation workshops
Conducted qualitative and quantitative research with the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) and the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU)

We monitor impact by measuring improvements in mental health outcomes of our beneficiaries, using the World Health Organisation SRQ-20 as a screening and follow-up tool.

Download a healing workshop brochure

Tree of Life Brochure

Recent Stories

Youth Programme Update

Since 2017 Tree of Life has been working with young people under the Youth Empowerment for Peace (YEPP) project. The programme includes a variety of activities such as psychoeducation, trauma healing, livelihoods development and pro-peace activities. Over the last year the youth were trained in Team Building and Leadership Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills, Jewelry Making from beads and baking. Our 3 pioneer communities also participated in Clean-Up Campaigns and Youth Dialogues. During a follow-up session we learnt that many of the youth are becoming agents for peace in their own ways, by helping other youth to cope in a difficult environment. Many of the young people have also started up their own small businesses and projects as a result of the training they received from Tree of Life.

Below are a few testimonies by some of the youth involved in the programme:

“I used to look down on myself but with the help of Tree of Life I have become a confident person and I always challenge myself. I have even started a Self-Help Group with 20 other women in my community.”

“As a community we have started an initiative where we collect clothes for an old age home – we also help them with chores such as wash plates or do the laundry. As youths we also sometimes go to an institution for students that are mentally challenged in our area. We like to go there to hang out with them to show love, and one of our team members sometimes plays his music for them. We have also gotten recognition from our local District Administrator when we do pro-peace sports and clean ups, the latter of which we did without financial support from Tree of Life. In some cases we have helped other youth who feel suicidal – it’s nice to know that some people can come to us for help.”

“I used to suffer from ulcers, and also when ToL met me I was actually very suicidal. I was very depressed and did not really think that the future had anything in store for me. After the processes that I went through with ToL I was no longer suicidal, and now also my ulcers are now gone. I now truly believe that no matter what you are going through, you can get through it, because I have. I am doing beads as a way of getting an income. I am very grateful to ToL for teaching us how to make beads because it is now a way for me to earn money.”

“I want to help fellow youths who are addicts and who have a dark future”

“I’d like to support and empower youth in my community so that they have a better tomorrow”

“We are going to change our lives through baking and also to change our community by selling our products”

“As youth we wish to take more responsibility and be more useful in our community.”

Our Principles

Do no harm
The ‘Circle’ is key
We work by invitation
Apolitical, non-partisan, inclusive
Balance competence and compassion
Always guard the integrity of the process
Be culturally appropriate, organic and adaptable
We work with humility, compassion, patience and respect
We are group-based, community-based and evidence-based
Work in the community, with the community for the community
We honour our interrelatedness and connectedness with each other and with nature

“A healed and empowered society that puts its energy into processes of peace, recovery and reconciliation”

Tree of Life

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Our Principles

Lets join hands today