VIHASA in Zimbabwe: Planting Seeds of Values, Compassion and Inner Strength

2–10 October 2025 | A Journey Across Schools, Healthcare, Prisons and Communities

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In October 2025, VIHASA took its values-based approach across Zimbabwe in a remarkable nine-day journey of reflection, compassion, self-care and connection.

From schools and hospitals to prisons, radio stations, community gatherings and meditation sessions, the programme brought together young people, healthcare professionals, nurses, correctional officers, inmates, educators and community members.

The journey was made possible through the support and partnership of the Brahma Kumaris in Zimbabwe, and grew from a commitment made following the Africa-wide VIHASA training.

There was also a beautiful sense of synchronicity. On arriving in Zimbabwe, Dr Raksha Balbadhur reflected on a blessing shared by Sister Vedanti during the Nairobi training — the vision of taking VIHASA to every country, from A to Z or Z to A.

Zimbabwe became another important step in that journey.

2 October: Beginning with Young People

The Zimbabwe programme began on 2 October at Liberty Christian College, where Dr Raksha Balbadhur addressed approximately 150 high school students on the theme of Positive Lifestyle.

The session invited the young people to reflect on some of life's most important questions:

Who am I?What do I stand for?What really matters to me?

Drawing on the often-expressed regrets of people approaching the end of life, Dr Raksha shared the reflection:

“I wish I had lived a life true to myself, not what others expected of me.”

The students were encouraged to identify their own values and become more conscious of the principles they want to live by, particularly in a world where young people can be strongly influenced by external expectations and pressures.

A strengths-based exercise brought considerable enthusiasm into the room. The students identified their personal values and then called them out together, giving energy and voice to the qualities they wanted to remember and live by.

The session also acknowledged the challenges many of the students face, including coming from single-parent households. They were reminded that even when physical support may feel limited, they can draw strength from a Higher Source.

The session concluded with an experiential introduction to SOS, offering the students a simple way of finding stillness and creating meaning when facing emotional challenges.

For many, the experience of peace was so powerful that they expressed a wish to simply remain in that feeling.

2 October: Dignity, Respect and Compassion at the End of Life

Later that day, Dr Raksha addressed the College of Primary Care Physicians at the Zimbabwe Medical Association on:

Dignity, Respect and Compassion at the End of Life

Doctors from public and private hospitals participated, with additional participants joining online.

The session opened an important conversation about the role of spirituality in healthcare and the need to consider the whole person — not simply the disease or diagnosis.

One physician shared her own experience of the emotional stressors faced by clinicians, explaining how these experiences had contributed to her decision to move into public health.

The discussion highlighted the significant emotional trauma that healthcare workers can experience and the need for approaches that support not only patients and families, but also the healthcare professionals who care for them.

For many participants, the conversation represented the beginning of a new dialogue around spirituality, dignity and compassionate care within Zimbabwe's healthcare system.

3 October: Celebrating Strength and Resilience

On 3 October, a gathering of 17 senior women came together for tea, conversation and reflection.

Through games and interactive activities, the group explored the power of appreciation and were encouraged to recognise their own strengths.

Stories of resilience were shared, creating a warm space in which experiences could be acknowledged and celebrated.

The gathering demonstrated that values-based work is not limited to formal healthcare settings. It can take place wherever people come together to listen, share, appreciate and support one another.

Dr Raksha was also invited to present at an oncology hospital in Harare, opening the possibility for further engagement in the healthcare sector.

4 October: Tea, Inspiration and Community

On 4 October, a smaller group of women gathered for tea and shared inspiration.

The day also included numerous home visits with members of the Brahma Kumaris family, providing opportunities for personal connection, listening and sharing.

These quieter encounters were an important part of the Zimbabwe journey — reminding us that meaningful impact is often created not only through large workshops, but also through individual conversations and relationships.

5 October: Exploring Meditation

On 5 October, Dr Raksha conducted a meditation class, continuing the exploration of inner wellbeing and the role of stillness in supporting emotional resilience.

Meditation became a recurring theme throughout the Zimbabwe programme, particularly in later sessions with healthcare workers and correctional services.

6 October: Caring for the Carer

The focus shifted back to healthcare and professional wellbeing on 6 October.

Morning: SkyzMetroFM

At 8:30 am, Dr Raksha was interviewed by SkyzMetroFM, discussing a range of issues including:

• Palliative medicine

• Caring for the carer

• Living with a life-threatening diagnosis

• Whole-person care for both practitioners and patients

The interview provided an opportunity to bring these conversations beyond professional settings and into the wider community.

Afternoon: Ingutsheni Mental Hospital

From 2:00–3:30 pm, the Bulawayo Retired Nurses Fellowship invited Dr Raksha to conduct a workshop at Ingutsheni Hospital Recreation Hall on:

Caring for Yourself Whilst Caring for Others

The Fellowship mentors younger nurses, with the aim of passing on the values and wisdom of nursing care to the next generation.

The workshop explored an essential principle:

To care sustainably for others, we must also learn to care for ourselves.

Dr Raksha reminded participants:

“Nurses often practise compassion but forget that real compassion starts with self-compassion. One cannot pour from an empty cup.”

Participants explored their own inner values and reflected on how easily the demands of daily work can cause professionals to lose touch with those values.

Through experiential exercises, the nurses were invited to rediscover what matters to them and consider how these qualities could be brought back into their everyday work.

Relaxation and mindfulness exercises were interwoven throughout the session, giving participants practical tools to support their own wellbeing.

The message was clear: self-care is not selfish. It is fundamental to sustainable compassionate care.

The workshop also reinforced the importance of the relationship between retired and practising nurses. As one of the Fellowship's messages expressed, they may be retired, but they are certainly not tired — there is still much wisdom and experience to contribute.

7 October: Taking Care for the Carer to Harare

On 7 October, Dr Raksha travelled by road to Harare.

On arrival, she presented a session at the beautiful Gateway School, speaking to staff about:

Care for the Carer

The focus remained on the importance of sustaining ourselves while supporting and caring for others.

The day continued with a 30-minute interview on Classic 263, exploring customer service in the medical space.

The conversation highlighted an important balance: healthcare requires competence, but competence alone is not enough.

Healthcare interactions also require compassion.

8 October: Bringing VIHASA into Zimbabwe's Prisons

The next morning, the VIHASA team travelled approximately three hours by road to Chinhoyi Learning Centre.

There, a full-day experiential workshop was held with correctional officers and inmates, focusing on:

Inner Values

The programme brought together approximately 54 prison wardens and four inmates, creating an unusual but powerful learning environment in which both officers and inmates could explore their own values, wellbeing and potential.

The wider programme was conducted in partnership with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) and focused on self-care, positive thinking and emotional wellbeing.

The theme of the prison programme captured the broader vision:

“A Healed Officer Nurtures Peace, a Reformed Inmate Nurtures Productivity, and a Green Prison Nurtures Hope.”

The workshop recognised the intense pressures faced by correctional officers, who carry significant responsibilities in supporting and counselling inmates while also dealing with their own occupational stress and burnout.

Participants explored self-awareness, inner values, meditation and visualisation.

The response was particularly encouraging, with participants describing the exercises as beneficial to their mental wellbeing.

The programme director and head of education expressed interest in enabling all wardens to experience the full VIHASA module series.

9 October: Being Positive and Planting a Baobab

The work with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service continued on 9 October with the Being Positive module.

Participants reflected on the benefits they had already experienced from the previous day's exercises, particularly the meditation and visualisation practices.

The sessions explored how changing our relationship with our thoughts can support greater emotional resilience and positive ways of responding to challenging situations.

The programme also highlighted the importance of creating environments where both correctional officers and inmates can develop greater self-worth, emotional wellbeing and peaceful coexistence.

Planting a Symbol of Hope

The day concluded with a particularly meaningful event: the planting of a Baobab tree at Chinhoyi Remand Prison.

The tree symbolised the beginning of a partnership rooted in values across the three provincial prisons.

It also carried a simple but powerful message:

“No matter the situation, growth is possible.”

Like the Baobab, values can take root, withstand difficult conditions and continue to grow over time.

The planting provided a fitting symbol for the entire Zimbabwe journey.

10 October: Compassion in Oncology Care

The final day of the Zimbabwe programme brought VIHASA into an oncology setting.

At Oncocare, a state-of-the-art private oncology facility, Dr Raksha facilitated a session during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The session included a talk and a guided imagery experience.

The response was immediate and heartfelt. Participants expressed their appreciation for the guided imagery and many requested further meditation sessions.

There was also a strong request for Care for the Carer programmes.

The conversations that followed highlighted the emotional burden carried by oncology professionals and the enormous responsibility of providing the best possible care to people facing cancer.

A clear need for ongoing support for healthcare workers emerged.

Dr Nyakabae, who has a strong interest in uplifting healthcare workers across different sectors, expressed interest in developing a partnership with VIHASA to support this need.

This opened the possibility of ongoing VIHASA workshops within the oncology environment.

10 October: Don't Absorb It, Observe It

The Zimbabwe journey concluded on the evening of 10 October with a session entitled:

“Don't Absorb It, Observe It.”

The message invited participants to develop greater awareness of their internal responses to the experiences around them.

For those working in healthcare and other emotionally demanding professions, learning to observe rather than absorb can become an important way of maintaining clarity, compassion and resilience.

It was a fitting conclusion to a journey centred on caring for others while learning to care for ourselves.

A Journey of Values Across Zimbabwe

From high school students to doctors, retired nurses, healthcare professionals, educators, correctional officers, inmates and community members, VIHASA reached an extraordinary range of people during its Zimbabwe programme.

Each setting revealed a different need, yet a common thread ran through them all:

People need spaces to reconnect with themselves, their values and their inner strength.

The students explored who they are and what they stand for.

Doctors explored dignity, respect, compassion and spirituality at the end of life.

Retired nurses reflected on self-compassion and the importance of passing values to the next generation.

Correctional officers and inmates explored inner values, self-care and positive thinking.

Oncology professionals experienced guided imagery and identified the need for greater support for carers.

Across all these encounters, VIHASA's message remained consistent:

We cannot sustainably care for others if we do not also care for ourselves.

The Zimbabwe journey was therefore not simply a series of talks and workshops. It was a process of planting seeds — seeds of self-awareness, compassion, dignity, peace and hope.

Some were planted in classrooms.

Some in hospitals.

Some in prisons.

Some in community gatherings.

And one very literally in the earth — a Baobab tree standing as a reminder that growth is possible, even in challenging circumstances.

The Journey Continues

The October 2025 Zimbabwe programme demonstrated the possibilities that emerge when values-based care crosses professional, institutional and national boundaries.

Through the support of the Brahma Kumaris and the openness of the many people and organisations who welcomed VIHASA, new relationships were formed and opportunities for continued collaboration emerged.

From Bulawayo to Harare, Chinhoyi and beyond, the journey showed that the need for compassionate care, self-care, dignity and inner resilience is universal.

And as the Baobab planted at Chinhoyi reminds us:

The seed has been planted. Now it is time to nurture its growth.