We seek to understand how trauma and exposure to violence shape identity, memory, perceptions, attitudes and behaviour. An important aspect of examining violent behaviour is understanding the nature of resilience. That is, we study peaceful behaviour, particularly resistance to reactionary forces and ideas. Our programs support participants in a process of deconstructing the narratives associated with beliefs and histories of conflict and grievances. The gendered nature of conflict is among issues examined. This is done through the use of artwork and storytelling. Much of our work is focused on issues related to violence prevention, including violent extremism, violent crime, gender-based violence, and ethnic violence.
We support conflict transformation by addressing trauma and its effect on people and their environment. Our approach is based on social healing and trauma-informed solutions for countering violence. We assist communities in chronic violence and specialize in the most fragile areas. Our strength lies in the people we serve who ultimately are charged with the difficult task of healing and transformation.
We are innovating the integration of peacebuilding and governance programming with mental health from an African world-view, in new and creative ways. We believe what we have learned has implications globally.
