Turning the Tide of Trauma®

"It is my belief that the peoples of the earth live within the webs of cultural and social forces, much as stars and planets exist within webs of natural forces that both bind them together and keep them apart. Though we seem to live as separate individuals, nations, cultures, and faiths, we are one in our humanity." Heidi Hardin, Artist & Founder of Think Round Inc. our partner organization in San Francisco

The PeerCommunity CoCare Program is the foundational program of LifeSpheres, a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit Public Charity and LifeSpheres, a South African nonprofit organization.

Our Global Team

Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Diana Canant has also lived, worked and studied in the UK and the USA. She has global experience as a trainer teaching cross-cultural communication, cultural orientation, job proficiency, learning-to-learn, and trauma and stress reduction for mental health professionals, lay practitioners, and community volunteers. She has a degree in psychology, is a Certified Green Cross Traumatologist, and an alumnus of the Harvard Global Mental Health Trauma and Recovery Masters Certificate Program. She is a member of a global network of professionals addressing the impact of global violence, conflict, and natural disaster.

Diana developed the PeerCommunity CoCare Program, which teaches people how to help each other to overcome the impact that traumatic experiences have had on their lives.

In the United States

Lucinda Whitney Page has been working with survivors of trauma, in women’s empowerment and leadership, with those who are physically and learning disabled, and as a caregiver for the elderly.

Lucinda is a metal smith, artist and sculptor. As an entrepreneur, she has sold her unique jewelry designs in Galleries, Collectives, Fairs and farmers markets for over 40 years, Lucinda Page Designs. 

Lucinda applies her unique and varied experiences in all aspects of professional and volunteer endeavors, and it is her honor to serve her community.  Lucinda looks forward to working with diverse populations Turning the Tide of Trauma in local and global communities with the Ardicare Foundation's programs.

"The deepest desire of the human spirit is to be acknowledged" - Steven Covey

The PeerCommunity Program changed Tara’s life. She earned her BA in Psychology but it wasn’t until her own therapist suggested that she do the community program that she found relief from the anxiety and depression that she has experienced since childhood. She continues to witness the program’s healing effects—her paradigm shifting toward an ever growing sense of inner peace. 

As a program participant, she was awarded the Certificate of Completion for being Trauma Informed, Trauma Aware, and a Competent Listener. 

In Haiti

Born and raised in Haiti, Syndie Desir holds a psychology degree and is currently working toward an executive MBA in project management at the University of Cadiz in Spain. She served as the Past President of the Rotaract Club of Port-au-Prince in 2015–2016 and is a volunteer with Rotary International.

"I am constantly confronted with pressing needs in my community, which motivates me to get involved in projects and strive for positive changes."

She started the awareness-raising One Person, One Action initiative to encourage personal participation in environmental protection. Additionally, the Save A Child project aims to address the issue of undernourished children in the southeast region of the nation. This project was one of the top three submissions for the Miss Progress International contest's health category. Miss Progress Haiti Winner in 2016, she is the founder of Beka, a nonprofit organization with the mission of facilitating access to mental health resources, education, and services. Beka 's mission is to serve underprivileged communities in Haiti by offering essential mental health care. She became a PeerCommunity CoCare Program Facilitator after meeting Diana in 2015. Her current project is to expand the program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In Uganda

Ansie Joubert is a qualified trainer and has been a member of instructional design teams designing training programmes in various fields. She is fluent in English and Afrikaans.

Ansie believes in people and in their ability to change.  For Ansie there is nothing more satisfying than being instrumental in the transformation of some aspect of someone else’s life.  As a training facilitator Ansie experiences deep contentment

when people master skills and can better themselves and the quality of their lives as a result.

Ansie has also been involved with orphan projects in communities in South Africa and Zambia.  She is troubled by the amount of trauma in our world today and the suffering of children in particular disturbs her deeply.

She recently equipped herself to deal with trauma by attending Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) workshops.  She recognizes the value of Ardicare’s vision because she believes a more efficient approach than the conventional counsellor-client sessions is needed to reach those who have been traumatized and to bring about relief more quickly.

She is interested in bringing LifeSpheres’ program to people in Africa, particularly South Africa, Zambia, and the rescued child soldiers who are brought to Uganda from neighbouring South Sudan.

In Malawi

Maria Tapiwa Kamanga from Lilongwe, Malawi. 

Trauma is an overwhelming experience of danger or loss that happens to everyone (young or adult). And every individual responds differently to trauma. It may be in a positive or negative way, but one thing for sure I know is that trauma can be healed and this is through communicating.  It takes one's willingness to heal from whatever hinders us.

I am myself today a witnesses of what the Peer-Community Program has done in my life.   

• Not being judgmental, ‘cause I understand what trauma does to every person.

• Being there almost to everyone.

• The program has taught me just to be nice to everyone I come across.   

I am just glad that the person I was yesterday isn't the same person you’re seeing today. My look depends on how I feel inside, so calm and peaceful.  And I would love to share the peace with the whole world. It is possible to live again. You just need to give yourself a chance and go with PeerCommunity flow.

In South Africa

Jabulani Mahonisi has been working for LoveveLife in Johannesburg, South Africa almost 20 years providing psycho social services.  Before working as a Call Centre Operator he worked as a groundBREAKER at Makomba-Ndlela Youth Movement where he delivered a variety of services including facilitating and implementing operational plans to deliver key components of LoveLife and Makomba-Ndlela programs in a rural area.  

Jabulani is passionate about creating an interactive and enjoyable environment that supports learning and providing solutions to people’s life challenges. 

In 2008 Jabulani was trained in Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) and Life Stress Reduction (LSR) by Diana Canant from the Traumatic Incident Reduction Association. As soon as the PeerCommunity CoCare Program was brought to South Africa, Jabulani immediately began to contribute his knowledge and skills to help establish successful and sustainable LifeSpheres programs in South Africa.

Refilwe Ntoi: I am a student of life and I am wired to help! I love working with people. I believe that no matter how bad the situation, there is good that exist and it outweighs the bad. Being grateful is a choice I make in hard times. 

I worked for LoveLife for ten years. During those ten years I received a lot of training for HIV /AIDS, communication, and TIR which I fell in love with. This gave me the best skill to help others.

I am excited to be part of LifeSpheres! 

My name is Lerato Mello. Lerato is an African name, which means "Love". Born and raised in Limpopo, I am the third child in my family. I’m a primary school teacher by profession and this gives me a lot of time with kids to understand their need for education. Four years of working with kids has made me aware of the love I have for children.
I am good with creative art, which I always do in my free time. I have grown to believe in the beauty of my dream.

I believe a facilitator to be a person who is innovative with lots of ideas to make things easy for anyone around them. I enjoy listening to people. This is what being a facilitator is about, to be able to listen to people’s perspectives of different aspects of life.

I want to see progress in people. I believe anyone can heal after any tragedy life can bring. With the work of a professional PeerCommunity Program Facilitator it can be done.

My name is Monica Vilakazi. I am 48 years old. I am currently running my own small business in Olievenhoutbosch, South Africa, and am a PeerCommunity Program Facilitator-in-training.

Before joining the program, my world was a blur with no direction and now, after the program, I feel alive and ready to take over the world.

I want to help people who are like me before the program so that they can put the past where it belongs, in the past.

My name is Rosina Mabapa and I am from Limpopo, South Africa. I am a mother of two children.

I like to facilitate because I like to see weak people become strong like me. After doing the program, I am a better person because I know where I come from and where am going. In the past, I had a lot of problems, pain and suffering, but now I am a happy person and I live a good life. I am an example to my family and I am now proud of who I am because I know life is all about challenge and I face it with courage because I know it will pass. I love you all.

I am Chantell Oelofse.

I believe that Trauma can be overcome by turning the tide of trauma.

I am a living testimony (that it worked for me). I faced my giants and overcame! 

I see transformation taking place as we proceed with the programmes for peer-communities.

My goal in life is to share this gift with everyone.

Fhulufedzani Matlidah Nenzhelele

Fhulufedzani is an African word that means “being faithful”, which I am. I am Venda and originally from Limpopo. I am a mother, a sister, and a second born to my mom.

I am a focused goal-driven and enthusiastic young woman, and eager to exercise the knowledge I obtained from the LifeSpheres program and gain more Listening and Learning skills in challenging experiences. I enjoy being a part of a successful LifeSpheres team. I aim to make meaningful changes to our organizations success, when given an opportunity.

My name is Charisma van der Merwe from Johannesburg, South Africa.

I am a Dynamic Occupational Therapist and I have a passion for people and seeing them reach their potential.

I absolutely love the fact that the program is a peer-community program where people get to connect with each other on their own personal level.

I am Naumi Poppy Moatshe, a mother of four beautiful, independent adult children and I am from Pretoria, South Africa.

I worked at the South African Dept. of Defense for most of my adult life where I underwent the basic training, and attended other military courses and skills development programs. 

Since I love people so much, and worked with them through the years, I wanted  them to value themselves, and made them aware that life is precious, and everything happens for a reason. 

After I retired from the South African Defense Force, I did the Trauma Incident Reduction (TIR) training, where I learned much about how to help people to deal with their trauma experiences. It was an eye opener for me to realise that there's a lot to be done in the society. 

I met the founder of LifeSpheres (formerly the Ardicare Foundation), Diana Canant, through Ansie Joubert. Diana tirelessly shared her knowledge with everyone who was willing to learn more about how to deal with traumas and be there for families and communities. 

As a Program Facilitator I am proud to say that I have witnessed the living testimonies. People are healed and they are able to heal others in their families and communities. My wish is to spread this program worldwide so that everyone can see the importance of being  alive, being recognized, and having a healthy mind, body, and soul.

I am Jeanne van der Merwe. I live in Hartbeespoort near Pretoria, South Africa.

A series of deeply traumatic events, the result of wrong choices, caused near devastation in my earlier life.

One's joy in life stems from a sense of meaning and fulfillment.

Today, being part of the legacy of Turning The Tide, means helping others turn BITTER into BETTER.

Alida Jooste: As a Social Worker, working in the community and applying TIR as part of my practice, I was introduced to the PeerCommunity Program and the work Ardicare Foundation does through Turning the Tide of Trauma.  I am 100% aligned with every aspect that this program is all about. I am looking forward to implementing the program in the community I serve in Gauteng, South Africa.

My name is Amanda Brightness Vilakazi, commonly known as Amu.

I am from a small village called Uitval in Ladysmith, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. I love clothes, fashion, the new trends, which makes me enjoy shopping. Family means everything to me, especially my Granny and siblings. I believe in God and put Him first before everything and anything.

I became a Program Facilitator after witnessing the positive impact it made to my life and the way I view life in general. I am a Program Facilitator because I want other people to feel the way that I feel because it is priceless.

I hope to plant a positive attitude in other people and share what I have learned.

My name is Nelson from a small community in South Africa called Olievenhoutbosch.

I am a dedicated and determined young man who is very passionate about community development. Since Diana came and introduced the PeerCommunity Program in our community, I had the opportunity to learn more about the program and also got the opportunity to be the Olievenhoutbosch Project Coordinator. That was a bonus.

I love working and seeing the changes in my community. I would like to see more people in my community change through this program. I am staying (#ImStaying) and making a difference in people’s lives through the PeerCommunity project.

I am Lebo Plantina Muthombeni, born, raised and studied in Limpopo Province.

I heard of the LifeSpheres program while it was still called the CSDP and I was going though a rough patch, which got me thinking that it is the end of the world and my life. Thankfully there was a program in Olieven where I currently live. I took part in the program not knowing what it’s all about and I got way more than I expected. I gained more insight about trauma, I got help, love, skills  and knowledge I never thought I needed.

Now my goal is to grow with LifeSpheres, help people, guide them though difficult times. LifeSpheres has helped me to gain self-confidence and to be more thankful. Now I see the world and life with a different eye and all thanks goes to the LifeSpheres program.

Rev. Jan Hendrik Oberholzer

I was born and raised in Germiston, Gauteng, South Africa. I hold degrees in Greek and Biblical Studies with advanced degrees in Theology and Practical Theology and I am a certified coach. As a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, I have ministered to the Deaf. I was head of Deaf Christian Ministry Africa (DCMA), at which time thirteen culturally Deaf teachers and pastors were trained for ministry. They serve as pastors in several places in South-Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Ghana. I am currently ministering in Cape Town, Bellville, at die De La Bat-Bellvile Church of Deaf people. It is my intention to collaborate with LifeSpheres to bring the PeerCommunity CoCare Program to Deaf people in the community I serve.

In Türkiye

Shabnam Hazrati: I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. When education for girls was forbidden in other provinces of Afghanistan, I started my primary education in Panjshir Province. I continued up to receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Psychology at the University of Kabul after the start of the Taliban Government.

During the time I was at university, I was working as editor, producer and radio operator in Amozgar Radio. My work career started from there and after that I worked as project coordinator in Panjshir Province for a women’s empowerment project. In 2012 I joined Partnership Afghanistan-Canada (PAC) as a volunteer. I was the project coordinator for their M-Learning Project. After that I worked in the Independent Election Commission as Media Liaison officer and then in the Afghan Women’s Education Center as a Capacity Building Officer. Lastly, I joined the United Nations Volunteers and worked in the United Nations Development Program project for Gender Equality Enhancement in Afghanistan. Now I am in Turkey to get my Masters Degree and continue my work with PAC as a board member and facilitator for implementing the PeerCommunity CoCare Program in Afghanistan. I have also worked with many more youth organizations and with Darakht-e Danesh online library as a volunteer editor.

In Canada

My name is Kevin Ward and I am a mental health counsellor with over 25 years experience working with people who have diverse needs. I am knowledgeable in conflict resolution, crisis response, trauma resolution, life stress reduction, team-building, and community needs assessment and I am pleased to be part of the global team of LifeSpheres Facilitators. 

I have specialized in ethics, trauma-informed student-centred learning, and non-violent communication. I strive to be consistently compassionate, understanding and approachable especially when working with people in challenging situations and stressful environments.  I am also an experienced and caring supervisor of social workers, psychiatric nurses and master’s level counsellor candidates from various cultures.  As an educator, I maintain a strong understanding of learning styles and multiple educational approaches for student-focused and student-centered learning. My aim in all my work with groups and individuals is to create success strategies and help implement them consistently.

I live in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, and I am looking forward to implementing the PeerCommunity CoCare Program in the Kootenay Valley of southeast British Columbia and surrounding areas, coordinating the program in this area, and establishing the Community Leadership Class in the schools here.

My name is Linda Eugene Hemlock. I am from the Shuswap Nation and was born in Golden, British Columbia, Canada.  I have seven grandchildren, one great grandson, and two wonderful sons. I married a Mohawk from Kahnawake in Quebec and lived there for over forty years only to return to my hometown of Invermere, British Columbia, three years ago. 

Weyt-kp! (Hello, to many)

My name is Clarissa Stevens.  I was born in Invermere, British Columbia and raised on the land of the Shuswap Indian Band. 

I am a PeerCommunity Program Facilitator-in-Training. We started the facilitator training in January of 2019.  Then we did the program ourselves in September of 2019. 

Taking the program helped me with the traumas that have happened in my life and gave me a deeper understanding of the program.  It helped me work through the traumas until they are not at the forefront of my life. 

I do believe that trauma effects everybody differently and everybody deals with it in different ways.  I look forward to working with my community and helping them overcome their traumas in their life. 

Weytk! (Greetings)

My name is Glady Sam. I am a proud member of the Shuswap Indian Band here in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Invermere, British Columbia. “The mountains shall bring peace to the people.”

The PeerCommunity Program was first introduced to me in early 2019. With a lot of soul searching and courage and perseverance, I can honestly say that this program is life changing!

The program’s teachings have been integrated into my daily life, and I am a better person for that.

My wish is that my family, my family of friends, my work family, my community family, my peoples, find their courage to speak their truths. These stories must be told in order for us to grow.

Kukstemc. (Thank you)

Louie Basil Stevens

I was born in a log house on the Shuswap Reserve, on December 10.

I went to the Residential School in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, for 7 years.

I love playing guitar and my other hobby is mechanic, on vehicles.  I worked in Radium, British Columbia, for 35 years at the sawmill. I have been married for 48 years. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

In Memoriam

The community of Program Facilitators mourn the loss of Koketso Khumbula who participated in the CSDP in 2017 as a member of the Great Foundation of Hope and did the PeerCommunity Program Facilitator Training in 2018.

Koketso was a smart, capable, and handsome young man, full of promise, and committed to making a difference in his community. He was taken from us on Saturday the 20th of October, 2019 by some robbers with a gun. His life was cut short, but his spirit, his enthusiasm, his love for his family and his people lives on in our work. His passing makes it all the more clear that there’s much work to be done.

Despite the tragedy of Kk’s passing and because of it, we are committed to keeping our shoulders to this wheel to make the difference Kk so wanted to make in his community. He and his community have laid a great foundation of hope. We are grateful for the contributions he made in the short time that we had the pleasure of working with him.

Our Up-and-Coming Facilitators in:

USA

• Matt Green

Haiti

• The Team of Five at CapraCare

Malawi

• Glory Effie

South Africa

• Matsie Raphaela

• Charise Dryden

• Kalushi Matshika

• Nothando Mokatoa