Actions taken:
DRC was one of the initiators of the 2017 Council of Delegates Resolution on “Addressing mental health and psychosocial support consequences of armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies”. DRC has since together with ICRC, IFRC and Swedish Red Cross initiated a Movement-wide project for the implementation of the Resolution, providing a significant part of the budget. Under this initiative, a policy on mental health and psychosocial needs to direct all Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement action in this field is envisaged to be adopted in the 2019 CoD, and the theme is also proposed to be addressed at the 33rd International Conference through a resolution, pledges and side events, for the Movement and States to agree how they can more effectively address these needs. DRC has through contributions at events at donor pledging conferences, global and regional health and humanitarian conferences, seminars and events contributed to drawing global attention to the urgent need for addressing this issue.
Since the 1990’s with the Balkan wars, DRC has had a strong focus on providing MHPSS programming both in situations of conflict and in natural disasters and has been an established global frontrunner on MHPSS in the RC/RC Movement for the past two decades. It is one of 5 key priorities in DRCs international strategy. To strengthen the capacity of National Societies and ensuring development of learning materials, guidelines and tools, DRC has hosted the IFRC PS Reference Centre for more than 25 years, and since 2015 supported the development and roll out of several guidance, materials and tools, including SGBV for survivors of SGBV, Child Friendly Spaces, Caring for Volunteers, etc.
DRC works to integrate and mainstream MHPSS into all its operations globally. DRC currently implements MHPSS programmes in more than 15 countries and reaches approximately 500.000 people annually. DRC adopts a community based, non-clinical approach to MHPSS focusing both on the individual and on community needs and on communities’ own resources to cope and recover. Underlying the approach is the acknowledgement that psychosocial support activities, including recreational activities, contribute to improved mental health and wellbeing and the prevention of further mental disorders and illness. Main activities include psychological first aid, setting up Child Friendly Spaces, structured workshops for children and their caregivers, organizing support groups for vulnerable target population groups, household visits for referral, psychoeducation and mobile unit outreach.
Key thematic areas include MHPSS in emergencies including FACT and ERU deployment, MHPSS integrated in health interventions, MHPSS for children and youth affected by disaster and conflict, including caregivers, MHPSS in migration contexts as well as the caring for staff and volunteers.
Following a review of the DRC International Strategy in 2018, new and more ambitious objectives for DRC MHPSS efforts have been formulated. DRC has increasingly engaged in PS response in emergencies and has deployed an increasing number of PS delegates to emergency situations through a growing roster that has been developed in recent years. DRC deploys delegates both to multi- and bilateral operations and has also deployed staff to other PNS. DRC currently has an MoU with Canadian and Japanese RC and Faroe Islands for the exchange/ secondment of PS delegates.
In Denmark, psychosocial support is an integrated element of all DRC national programmes for vulnerable groups (women in / leaving shelters, homeless people, refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable children). DRC has also integrated psychological first aid in the first aid training curriculum; and is testing its possible contribution to different community-based resilience and fire prevention initiatives in cooperation with selected municipal rescue services, with a particular focus on psychological first aid and logistics.
Human Interest Story
Niger Red Cross runs a “listening and orientation centre” open to all migrants, with support from Danish Red Cross. At the centre there is always a nurse present, providing basic health services; migrants can call family members; receive basic kits, including a mat, a bucket, mosquito net, etc.; talk to a volunteer from the psychosocial team or just come to relax, socialise, play games, draw or watch television with other migrants. On a weekly basis, Niger Red Cross also organises different psychosocial or recreational activities.
Recently, a workshop was conducted on how to use drawing and comics to express oneself through storytelling as a means of supporting better psychosocial wellbeing. The migrants, who participated, learned basic drawing techniques; how to express and draw emotions; and to tell stories. They learned how stories change over time; depending on when and to whom you tell them to, or how a story may end and a new one begins.
They were all given the freedom to draw/write about whatever they wanted to share; many of them chose to tell their personal story of migration.
One of the was, who has been on the move for many years. The story ends where it actually began: a peaceful Liberia; the old map; the school and people sitting under the trees, the antenna they would need to go to, to get proper signal for their telephones. And good memories about Red Cross people volunteers in the community. His story also depicts the moment a building caught fire in Libya; many women died in that fire.
When telling his story to the Niger Red Cross volunteer, Jay realized that he was mixing up the timeline of different events in his life and that he had forgotten to depict the time he was imprisoned in Sudan and also the happy years he had living with his wife in Algeria before being expelled to Niger. Jay therefore took some paper with him back to the ghetto where he lives to continue drawing and rewriting his story. Storytelling can help people to remember their journeys and better understand and express the emotions that are tied to their stories. According to Jay, this workshop has helped him to remember his journey – the good and the bad – and he also feels a sense of relief after being able to share his story.
