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New issue of Coping with Crisis
In disasters, conflicts and social programmes volunteers provide important psychosocial support to survivors and relatives or people being isolated or stigmatized. But how do volunteers react to what they see and hear, and who is helping them with their problems? The new issue of Coping with Crisis focuses on volunteers in emergencies. It contains testimonies from volunteers working in disasters and conflicts and contains news about the "Caring for the Volunteers" toolkit being published by the PS Centre. The magazine also contain articles about the continuing unrest in Syria and how psychosocial volunteers managed to mediate between communities, religious leaders and authorities during the cholera outbreak in Haiti.
Remember that you can subscribe to Coping with Crisis and receive hard copies of the magazine by writing an email to us at psychosocial.centre@ifrc.org. Enjoy the reading.
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A dramatic year
2011 was marked by a number of dramatic events: The triple disaster in Japan, the civil unrest in Middle East and North Africa, the bomb and mass killing of young people in Norway and the three earthquakes hitting the same region of New Zealand.
All of these events required large scale emergency relief, medical assistance and psychosocial support, and most National Societies were heavily involved. Some well trained and prepared, others realised that they could have been better prepared, and all used the events to consider how they could improve their preparedness and response.
The PS Centre supported the National Societies and you can read about this – as well as many other activities – in the 2011 annual report, which you can find here.
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Red Cross psychosocial seeds
bear fruit in Sichuan 4 years
after the earthquake
Almost four years after the Sichuan earthquake, the work to help
the affected continues. Red Cross Society of China has translated
some of the manuals from the Psychosocial Centre and they are in
use in 10 schools. Read some of the stories about how the work helps
children to move on. Click on the photo below to read the stories.
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The busiest day of the week
- counseling and psychosocial
support in Syria
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Staff and volunteers from Syrian Arab Red Crescent have been assisting
throughout the unrest with relief, ambulance service, counseling and
psychosocial support. Helping the people affected by the unrest and
working many hours under difficult and complicated conditions also
takes its toll on the staff and volunteers. They are therefore offered
defusion sessions and individual support, if they need it. Read about
a Friday in Damascus, usually a day of rest but now often the busiest
day of the week. Click the photo below to read the article.
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Red Crescent 'Beauty Parlour' in Pakistan
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Children in Pakistan affected by the flooding have fun while at the same time learning about
personal hygiene. Click on the photo below and read more about the 'Beauty Parlour' and
the importance of the psychosocial support for the affected Pakistani communities.
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Japan one year on
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Many challenges remain but much has happened since the
triple disaster in Japan last year. On the IFRC website you
can read about the work carried out by thousands of psychosocial
workers from the Japanese Red Cross and the people they have helped.
You can read about the challenges faced by the Japanese population,
young as old, in communication delegate Francis Markus' diary.
You can also watch a small video where Japanese beneficiaries
thank the world for its support. Click on the picture below.
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Psychosocial support to orphans after typhoon in Philippines
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”Loneliness makes older earthquake survivors physically weak”
Especially the elderly suffer from still living in temporary shelter. They feel lonely and isolated, and their psychosocial problems impact on their physical abilities. Their muscles get weaker and up to 30 percent of them have difficulties walking.
This is what Dr. Toshi Makishima from the Japanese Red Cross and his colleagues have observed after continuing to work with the survivors of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of people still live in temporary housing. Hear regional communication delegate Francis Markus´ interview with Dr. Makishima here.
(If you have problems listening to the file, you may need to download Windows Media Player, which is free: http://windows.microsoft.com/da-DK/windows/products/windows-media-player) |
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Watch how the Philippines Red Cross and the Singapore Red Cross
provide psychosocial support to orphans after the typhoon Washi in
Mindanao, Philippines. Click on the photo to watch the video link from
Channel News Asia.
Summer School
Summer School in Psychosocial Interventions in
Emergency Displacement in Italy from 18-30 June.
Find more information about the programme and
aplication procedure here.
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Worries about psychosocial impact
of typhoon in Philippines
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The psychological impacts on people in Northern Mindanao is one of the major
concerns for the Philippine Red Cross after Typhoon Washi hit the area. Not
only the losses and damages are hard to deal with but the fact that many
cannot find their loved ones or identify and afford to bury relatives is additionally
stressful. See full story here.
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Team resilience training for Utoya staff and helpers 
25 staff and helpers from Norwegian Red Cross have been in Israel for a team resilience training seminar held by Magen David Adom. Read more about the training seminar here.
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The Handbook on Psychosocial Interventions and Training Kit on Community-Based Psychosocial Support are availabe for download in English, French, Arabic and Spanish! It has been translated in many other languages by National Societies. To download the publications click here. To order hard copies send an e-mail to psychosocial.centre@ifrc.org.
   
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The PS Centre is now on Twitter. For the latest updates and news headlines on psychosocial support around the world, please click here. See you on Twitter!
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