Reports

THARS programs – Annual Report 2022

Despite the pandemic, it has been a fruitful year for Transform International (TI) in Burundi.  Over the past year, TI secured funding and assisted the Burundi-based Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services center (THARS) develop their economic and entrepreneurial capacity building program. &nbsp

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THARS has offices in Bujumbura and a campus in Gitega city that includes workshops, training facilities, and on-site housing for the people it assists.  THARS itself is an organization promoting positive peace and improving human security by providing resources for trauma healing and reconciliation in Burundi and the African Great Lakes Region. THARS uses a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to bring people of all walks of life to psychosocial healing and a resolution of differences.  Ultimately, THARS provides healing in the belief that the seeds of tomorrow’s peace grow in the soil of today’s healing and reconciliation.

In addition to psychosocial counselling, THARS also provides education and hands-on training to trauma survivors to assist them find meaningful employment:  in 2020, TI assisted THARS launch entrepreneurial training, using the social franchise model employed by the Kampala based Street Business School (SBS).

SBS provides basic business skills to its students, from market research to accounting.  It shows students how to seek out opportunity, become self-starters, and provides exit coaching to ensure candidates graduating are on the right path towards success.  SBS uses a train the trainer method to obtain maximum exposure of students to its programs.  Organizations fund two students to attend SBS.  Upon graduation, the students return to their home organization and begin implementing the SBS curriculum to other students within their organization.

TI secured funding for THARS to hire two economic advisers in the spring of 2021 and funded them to attend SBS.  They both graduated in August of 2021 and have since returned to THARS where they are translating the SBS materials from English to Kirundi in preparation for teaching it at THARS. It is difficult to tell how many SBS cohorts will graduate from THARS at this early stage of the set-up.  However, TI has been liaising at regular intervals and the hope is that several SBS cohorts will graduate from THARS in 2022.

In addition to assisting the two economic advisers at THARS, TI is working towards designing and building an industrial style “Rocket oven” at THARS with two aims in mind.  First, the bread oven will immediately begin to save THARS money as it will no longer have to purchase bread at market price in order to provide meals to people attending its workshops.  Second, the oven will have an entrepreneurial aspect:  the plan will be to teach people how to build their own rocket oven and bake their own bread, or even start their own breadmaking business when they leave THARS and return to their local communities.

Because the rocket oven is not a common design in Burundi, it has proven a challenge over the past year to find someone who can build it.  Fortunately, TI has recently found a local contact who has found a builder, and the plan is to push ahead to a design phase soon.  The rocket style oven is energy efficient and so will provide some environmental benefits, as well as reduce the amount of time that is spent gathering firewood.

Looking towards next year, there are tangible results that should be coming to fruition for both THARS, and for TI in support.  Funding is in place to keep the economic advisers in place for a second year.  The SBS curriculum is being prepared for teaching internally, and the building of a bread oven seems to be progressing towards a reality.  By offering capacity building and vocational training, THARS empowers the community to become psychosocially, spiritually, culturally and economically resilient. TI is proud to be a supporter of this worthy organization helping those who have been victims of trauma and looks forward to a bright year ahead.

Quotes:

“SBS program is a kind of a school which helps people motivated in business and or in entrepreneurship to achieve their goals.”   Elie Wayo – recent SBS graduate

“The SBS program is so worthy because teaching entrepreneurship is a way of helping and showing society that regardless of one’s past, there is still hope to make a difference and accomplish one’s dreams.” Sosthene Nimpagaritse, recent SBS graduate.

“The SBS program is interesting and very much suitable for our community” – both graduates.

“It has been incredibly satisfying assisting with the entrepreneurial aspect.  So many people have the talent and the desire, but never get the opportunity.  I feel that by launching the SBS curriculum, we are helping to provide opportunity which is a great feeling.”  Submitted by Carl Monk