This is the mainstay of our mandate, our work with communities in Matabeleland over the years has given us certain competencies in this area which we have been able to adapt and apply to other areas affected by a different type of political violence. Our approach to trauma healing is psychosocial rather than clinical.

Historic political violence victims: We work with survivors, families of the victims and communities affected by the violence of the 1980s. In this work we offer individual and group therapy. Part of the healing process includes helping families and communities to dignify the many shallow mass graves littering most of the region. Quite a significant number of affected communities are not suffering from trauma as defined clinically, but they carry the burden of being unable to have given their loved ones “proper” burial. Most of the graves are so shallow that dogs and other animals dig up the bones, others can no longer be identified as graves, so people who do not know walk over them, school children play over them, thus desecrating them. We continue to receive or to come across individuals in need of trauma healing and we have been able to witness remarkable transformation in some of these individuals who would have carried their hurts and pain for many years without any hope of some reprieve.

Current political violence victims: With the continued political violence in Zimbabwe we found ourselves having to deal with survivors of current turmoil. The state’s often violent evictions of informal settlers in urban areas and the violent persecution and torture of perceived opposition party supporters, particularly during the period leading to the June 27 th 2008 Presidential election, prompted us to expand our work to include victims of ongoing political violence. Our experience has taught us that unless people are helped to deal with their traumas, the effects lasts a life time and the bitterness tends to be passed on to the next generation (trans-generational traumatization), who will carry in them the desire to avenge their loved ones’ hurts. Grace To Heal’s vision is to avail our knowledge and skills with as much of Zimbabwe as is possible, as our contribution to national healing and reconciliation. The pervasive nature of the violence experienced means that the work of healing will take some years.