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Who We Are

Trauma Healing And Reconciliation Services (THARS) is a group of psychosocial practitioners and peacemakers who contribute to healing and peacemaking in Burundi and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. THARS uses a holistic approach to bring people of all walks of life to psychosocial healing and resolution of differences. This new path to peace is based on the understanding that the seeds of tomorrow’s wars grow in the soil of today’s unhealed traumas. The seeds of tomorrow’s peace grow in the soil of today’s healing and reconciliation.

The Burundi Government recognized THARS as a not-for-profit organization and registered it under the Ordonnance Ministérielle N° 530/430 of July 8, 2002, granting full authority to operate throughout the country. It also has a conformity authorization after complying with the new law regulating the local associations under the “Prise d’Acte” Nº 530/110/CAB/2018.

Our Vision

Traumatized people embark on healing processes to become spiritually, culturally and economically resilient.

Our Mission

To contribute to the healing of psychological traumas by offering psychosocial services and capacity building, empowering the community to become psychosocially, spiritually, culturally and economically resilient.

Our Values

  • Awareness and Gender Sensitivity
  • Healing and Conflict Transformation
  • Holistic Resilience
  • Cultural Relevance
  • Environmental Care

Our Objectives

  1. Establish Community Therapeutic Centers where groups, families and individuals who need psychosocial assistance are helped to become psychologically, spiritually and economically resilient.
  2. Facilitate and coordinate workshops on trauma healing
  3. Train key community members on trauma healing
  4. Foster solidarity among social workers in the area of trauma and encourage research in the Burundian context.
  5. To build capacity to fight against trauma through workshops and promote effective methods for a healing process, using music, community therapeutic theatres, cultural values, literature, dances, games and sport.
  6. Promote a reconciliation and conflict transformation processes through the Alternative to Violence Program.
  7. Sensitize the public and the international community to respond to trauma problems in Burundi.
  8. Sensitize and educate the community and its leaders about the problems related to the wellbeing of the children and the role to be played by the community.
  9. Create and contribute to the building of a protective environment of the child’s security.
  10. Sensitize and train the population on the methods of caring for the environment by an appropriate agriculture.

Members constituting the General Assembly:
Eugénie Gakobwa
Prudentienne Hakizimana
Venant Hatungimana
Guido Nshimirimana
Esdras Ndayikengurukiye
Elie Wayo
Epiphanie Hakizimana
Consolate Kabura
Emery Irakoze
Alexia Nibona
Edith Niyonsavye
David Niyonzima
Vital Sinzobatohana
Charles Berahino
Félicité Ntikurako

Members of the Executive Committee:
David Niyonzima : President and Legal Representative
Vital Sinzobatohana: Vice-President and Vice Legal Representative
Eugénie Gakobwa: Secretary
Charles Berahino: Treasurer
Prudentienne Hakizimana: Councellor

Members of the Monitoring Council:
Félicité Ntikurako : President
Esdras Esdras : Vice-President
Guido Nshimirimana : Secretary