Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services

Logo for Thars with a green tree and four people pulling on it, over an outline of Africa, and the text 'Healing from the Heart of Africa Thars'.

Pioneering a new path to peace by providing resources for trauma healing and reconciliation in Burundi and the African Great Lakes Region.

Our Work

THARS is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building peace in Burundi through trauma healing, reconciliation, and community resilience.

We offer a wide range of services designed to support communities through collective healing and empower individuals through counseling and skill-building. Our programs include trauma treatment, support groups, mediation, community dialogue, and advocacy. We also train local volunteers as trauma listeners and peacebuilders, equipping them to support long-term reconciliation from within their own communities.

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Healing from the Heart of Africa

In Burundi, the wounds of the past run deep and threaten long-term peace. Communities carry unexplainable pain that strains relationships and fuels conflict, yet there are limited mental health resources and few trained professionals. THARS trains passionate community members and empowers counselors to promote healing and break the cycles of violence.

Mental Health Challenges in Burundi

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No Word for Trauma in Kirundi

With no word for trauma in Kirundi, many are unable to name what they’re experiencing. So THARS created one: Ihahamuka.
A word to recognize the invisible. A first step toward healing.

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Limited Mental Health Services

Lack of stable funding and government support leaves communities without adequate resources to combat trauma and pain, straining relationships and fueling ongoing cycles of violence.

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Cycle of Interethnic Violence

Burundi’s history of group conflict has left deep divisions and mistrust across communities, with decades of violence often exploited and exacerbated by political elites.

Our Approach

1. Increase Access to Mental Health Services in Burundi

THARS provides community-based trauma healing across Burundi. Through therapeutic spaces known as Listening Centers, we offer mental health support utilizing clinical counseling and cultural methods, like music and storytelling. With other programs, like Healing of Memories, we help reveal and confront trauma collectively. 

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2. Advocate for Lasting Peace and Reconciliation

We heal individuals and communities impacted by Burundi’s ethnic conflict and political violence. Through the Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP), intergenerational dialogue, and peace education, we engage survivors, youth, and leaders in workshops to address trauma, and promote social cohesion.

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3. Community and Economic Resilience

THARS believes true healing must be replicable and sustainable. Community and economic resilience equips individuals with the skills to better navigate, confront, and mitigate the impacts of group conflict. We work with communities to protect children, raise awareness of their rights, and create safe spaces for them to thrive. We strengthen community networks, support income generation, and promote food security.

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The seeds of tomorrow’s wars grow in the soil of today’s unhealed traumas.

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The seeds of tomorrow’s peace grows in the soil of today’s healing and reconciliation.

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Real stories. Real impact.

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Eric Ndayihimbaze

"Everything changed when he attended a workshop led by the Alternatives to Violence Program (PAV)…. What could have reignited old hatred instead became a defining moment of courage—Eric chose forgiveness over vengeance.”

Logos of Guilder Coffee Company and Thars, with the Thars Africa logo featuring a map of Africa and an elephant

From Portland to Burundi: Coffee Supporting Healing

A bag of Guilder Coffee Company 10 ounces of whole bean coffee with a white label on top that includes information about the coffee's origin, variety, process, and producer.

Guilder Coffee in Portland, Oregon—known for ethical sourcing and a café inside the world-famous Powell’s City of Books—recently learned about THARS and our work supporting trauma healing in Burundi.

Moved by our mission, they’re now donating $1 from every bag of their Burundi, Bahire coffee to help fund THARS programs.

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