2025 Impact Report
VISION
MISSION
OUR CORE VALUES Trauma Free World equips adults around the world with accessible, trauma training so they can create environments where children, families,
We envision a world where no child's every community is equipped to foster healing, strengthen relationships, and create lasting change for generations to come.
LOVE IN ACTION
Jesus is at the heart of our work. His love, mercy, and grace guide our mission to bring healing and transformation to individuals and communities impacted by trauma.
EMPOWERING OTHERS
We believe in equipping individuals to be healing agents in their communities by providing trauma resources in truly accessible.
UPHOLDING DIGNITY
We believe every person has God-given worth. We listen transparency and respect.
COMPETENT COMPASSION
We believe true compassion is more than just feeling or expressing care; it requires the knowledge, skills, and wisdom to respond effectively to suffering. It means creating spaces where people feel safe—physically, emotionally, and relationally—so they can begin to heal.
STEWARDSHIP
We are entrusted with trauma-informed knowledge, and we share it freely and responsibly. By collaborating with others and removing barriers to resources, we ensure that healing multiplies far beyond ourselves.
FAITHFULNESS & INTEGRITY
We are accountable to our mission, partners, and God. We strive for honesty, humility, and excellence in everything we do, knowing that true transformation requires trust.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Every child deserves to grow up surrounded by safe, nurturing relationships where they are seen, valued, and able to thrive. At Trauma Free World, that belief guides everything we do. There is a beautiful Hebrew phrase, tikkun olam, which means "to repair the world." While the challenges facing vulnerable children can sometimes feel overwhelming, we believe the world is repaired one relationship at a time. Every caregiver equipped, every educator empowered, every family strengthened, and every community transformed become part of that restoration. In 2025, we witnessed that vision come to life in extraordinary ways. This year, thousands of caregivers, educators, ministry leaders, social workers, and child-serving professionals around the world were equipped with practical, trauma-informed tools that are already changing lives. Our training expanded into new countries and languages. We forged new partnerships that broadened our global reach. We strengthened our commitment to research, neuroscience and measurable impact. Behind every statistic in this report is a child with a greater opportunity to experience safety, connection, and hope. One of the greatest lessons we have learned is that lasting change for children begins by equipping the adults who care for them. Trauma-informed care is more than a program or methodology. It is a different way of seeing people. It invites us to look beyond behavior, recognize the impact of adversity, and respond with connection rather than correction, curiosity rather than judgment, and hope rather than discouragement.
The work of Trauma Free World extends far beyond the training room. As caregivers become safer, steadier, and more self-aware, children experience relationships that foster healing. As children heal, families grow stronger, communities become healthier, and future generations are forever changed. None of this would be possible without you. Whether you have prayed, given generously, partnered with us, volunteered your expertise, or participated in our training, you are part of this story.
As we look ahead, our vision remains clear: a world where no child's foster healing, strengthen relationships, and create lasting change for generations to come. Thank you for believing that healing is possible. Thank you for helping us equip everyone, everywhere with the knowledge and tools to become agents of hope and restoration. Together, we are repairing the world - one relationship, one community, and one child at a time. With gratitude, Diane Hersberger President, Training & Curriculum Division Trauma Free World
"We believe the world is repaired one relationship at a time."
A Healing Journey Begins When Trauma Free World partnered with several schools in Nigeria to deliver a three-day Trauma-Competent Care training, our goal was to equip educators and leaders with practical tools to better support the children in their care. What we witnessed reminded us that healing often begins with the adults. One participant arrived carrying more than professional responsibility. They were also navigating a deeply personal season of unresolved trauma. On the first day, they listened quietly, absorbing the conversations about the brain, relationships, and the lasting impact of adversity. As the training continued, something began to shift. Through guided reflection, interactive discussions, and practical application, they began connecting their own emotional responses to experiences they had never fully understood. By the final day, their perspective had changed.
"This training came at the right time for me," they shared. "It has helped me understand what is happening within me and my children. Becoming trauma-informed will be one of my greatest achievements this year." Their story is a reminder that trauma-informed care doesn't simply change how we care for children—it changes the adults who care for them. That one training room included leaders representing schools that collectively serve more than 1,500 students and staff, along with government representatives and professionals from other child-serving organizations. As they returned to their schools and communities with a new understanding of trauma and healing, the ripple effect extended far beyond the walls of a single training. Sometimes the most significant change begins quietly—with one person discovering that their own healing can become a source of hope for countless others.
Impact by the Numbers 2025
Since 2019
Tens of thousands of adults equipped across
108 countries positively impacting
Impact by the Numbers
500,000+ children worldwide.
Network Lasting change happens when communities are equipped from within. global community of educators, professionals, ministry leaders, and child advocates who deliver Trauma Free World's evidence-informed curriculum in their own communities. More than trainers, they are trusted champions for trauma-informed care who understand the unique strengths, cultures, and needs of the communities they serve. By equipping Trauma Free World's reach far beyond what one organization could accomplish alone—building sustainable local capacity, strengthening communities, and creating a ripple effect of healing for generations to come.
In 2025, Trauma Free Program extended its global reach through 116 trainings across 18 countries, equipping 3,573 participants with trauma-informed tools and practices.
The One We Never Expected When Trauma Free World traveled to northern Africa in the fall of 2025, our purpose was clear: equip more than 100 community leaders with trauma-informed tools they could carry back to their communities. But one of the lives most deeply impacted wasn't sitting in the room. Throughout the training, a member of the retreat center's kitchen staff quietly paused in his work to listen from just outside the door. Though he wasn't a registered participant, something about the conversation drew him in. As he listened, he began to recognize pieces of his own story. At the end of the second day, he approached our trainers with tears in his eyes. He shared that he and his wife had been struggling with significant mental health challenges and that, for the first time, he understood how his own experiences were shaping the way he responded to those he loved most.
Then he said something our team will never forget. To become the father his five-year-old daughter needed, he realized he had to pursue his own healing first. What he overheard from the hallway became an invitation to step into his own story. He shared that God had used those moments to awaken a desire to seek help, process his experiences, and become a healthier, more present husband and father. We often measure impact by the number of people in the room. But sometimes the most powerful stories begin just outside the door. Healing has a way of reaching the people we never expected—and when one parent's story begins to change, the lives of future generations can change with it.
Where It All Began
A single Advanced Trauma Competent Care training was delivered to Back2Back Ministries staff in Mazatlán, Mexico. What began as one training sparked a vision that every child deserves adults equipped to understand trauma and foster healing.
2014
A Vision Takes Flight
As invitations grew, so did the movement. The team traveled across continents, partnering with organizations and communities to bring trauma-informed care to those serving children and families in some of the world's most vulnerable places.
2015
A Team with a Shared Calling
2015 - 2019
Jayne and David Schooler joined Back2Back Ministries, and together, the Trauma Competent Care team was formed. United by a shared passion, they began equipping caregivers, educators, and ministry leaders around the world with practical tools that bring hope and healing.
2019
Trauma Free World is Born
A bold vision became reality. Trauma Free World was established with one clear mission: to equip everyone, everywhere, with the knowledge and tools to create safe, healing relationships where children can thrive.
Trauma Free World’s Journey
Multiplying the Impact
Removing Barriers to Learning
launched, empowering passionate leaders to take trauma-informed care back to their own communities. What began with one team became a growing global network multiplying hope around the world.
2021
2022 - 2023
Trauma Free World made its entire library of on-demand courses available free of charge, opening the door for more people than ever before to access trauma-informed education. The Advanced Trauma Competent Care curriculum also expanded to 13 languages, with additional translations underway—bringing life-changing resources within reach of communities across the globe.
2024
Growing Through Local Leadership The East Africa Collective brought
Trainers, strengthening regional collaboration and creating lasting, locally led impact. At the same time, Un Mundo Libre de Trauma expanded Trauma Free World's reach across Latin America, making culturally relevant trauma-informed resources accessible to Spanish-speaking communities.
2025
Building for the Future
As demand for trauma-informed care continued to grow, so did our commitment to sustainable, local impact. Through new global partnerships, expanded research initiatives, and continued curriculum innovation, Trauma Free World equipped thousands of caregivers and child-serving professionals around the world. To strengthen our long-term presence in Africa, we welcomed dedicated Regional Directors in both East and West Africa. These strategic leaders are cultivating local partnerships, expanding training opportunities, and building sustainable networks that will continue to advance trauma-informed care for years to come.
Trauma Free World Staff Katie Andolina - Financial Controller Trish Elliott - Graduate Fellow Teresa García Espinosa - Director of Un Mundo Libre de Trauma Diane Hersberger - President, Training & Curriculum Division John Horning Bethany Jeffers - East Africa Regional Director Ene Oklo - West Africa Regional Director Verónica Elizabeth Ruelas Niño - Assistant to the
Director of Un Mundo Libre de Trauma
Catelyn Smeyne, PhD - Research Director Sarah Tran - Digital Marketing and Creative Associate Ann Smith Maddie Wentworth - Training & Impact Coordinator
Board of Directors Brian Furnish – Assistant Vice President of Advancement Todd Guckenberger – Executive Director of
Back2Back Ministries – Board Chair
Will Housh
of Contractor Commerce
Thea Ramirez
of Adoption Share
Andrew Schechter – Vice President of Software Engineering,
HVAC Technologies
Toni Steere – Director of Legacy 68:5 at
Houston’s First Baptist Church
PO Box 70 Mason, Ohio 45040 +1 513-754-0300 hello@traumafreeworld.org
traumafreeworld.org