PHOLA was founded in 2016 to address the deep-rooted impacts of trauma on children, women, families, and communities across South Africa. Many individuals—particularly women and children—experience abuse, exploitation, and violations of their rights, leading to harmful identity conclusions. These traumatic experiences often result in self-hate, guilt, shame, victimhood, and isolation, preventing individuals from living fulfilling, empowered lives.

Unresolved trauma fosters mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, fear, hopelessness, and isolation. It creates thin, limiting narratives about one’s life and identity. Western-centric therapy models, often misaligned with local cultural values, exacerbate these challenges through what we call psychological colonization.