Xazulula Lesedi

Xazulula—meaning “resolve”—is a trauma-informed community development initiative co-implemented by INSPIRE and the Centre for Mental Wellness and Leadership (CMWL) with support from the DG Murray Trust.

The implementation of Xazulula with the Lesedi Renewable Energy Community Trust builds on lessons from previous pilots in South Africa and Sierra Leone, aiming to strengthen the capacity of community leadership in renewable energy contexts to address and transform the impact of trauma on development outcomes.

Through a structured, multi-phase training process, the project equips trustees, advisory board members, and implementing partners of the Lesedi Renewable Energy Community Trust with the skills to recognise and respond to trauma within themselves, their organisations, and the broader community. This is essential in contexts where historical and ongoing social wounds can undermine leadership effectiveness, governance, and the ability to realise long-term development goals.

Key milestones include the delivery of a five-module trauma-informed leadership course to selected leaders, orientation and capacity-building workshops for broader community partners, and the co-design of trauma-informed organisational tools. Xazulula at Lesedi contributes to a growing body of practice that reframes leadership in wounded contexts and integrates psychological transformation into the heart of just energy transition work.