Renata Reali is Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programme Responsible at the International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC, based in Brazil and covering Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. Renata joined the Regional Training: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies in Asunción, Paraguay facilitated by the MHPSS Hub and Paraguayan Red Cross (Cruz Roja Paraguaya).
“The Southern Cone region is no stranger to crisis and emergencies and challenges are complex and often interlinked involving combinations of poverty, inequality, violence, displacement, natural disasters and of course fuelled by climate change. I would say extreme temperatures, floods, wildfires and other natural disasters represent the most common challenges. However, these types of disasters do not occur in a vacuum and there is often a context of volatility and armed conflict which of course is the core-mandate of ICRC. It is clear, that the mental health implications for populations exposed to multiple treats are severe and that it is vital to mitigate them.
The role of ICRC is to work with authorities at the national, federal or local level to support responses to populations affected by armed conflict. Interventions are often taking place in remote and inaccessible areas or indeed insecure urban environments with limited health structures and resources. This involves anything from key-messages on MHPSS to capacity strengthening, mapping of best practises, technical assistance, expertise in scaling up operations but we always try to build from existing structures whether they are established by authorities, Red Cross National Societies or other stakeholders.
Complex emergencies and disasters involve multiple and often overlapping mental challenges leaving already vulnerable populations even more exposed. People need to deal with loss of family members including ambiguous loss so restoring family links would be one component of a response. However, the same populations may have lost homes and belongings, and some would still be facing armed conflict and other risks all adding to their stress level and negatively affecting their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.
Let’s imagine a woman who has been separated from a family member and who’s mental health is impacted as a consequence. This woman might be in risk if attempting to cross the street to visit a health clinic because it separates two non-state armed groups in control of each side. Should the woman succeed somehow – most likely the clinic would ask about physical symptoms like headache and not have the necessary expertise to understand the anxiety that caused it. Now if we then add a disaster and displacement to the toxic mix and the risks of sexual violence in a shelter then it is evident that a blanket, food items or a temporary roof will not do much to mitigate the accumulated potentially traumatic experiences.
MHPSS is not as tangible or material as many other interventions and it is much more difficult to demonstrate impact statistically but without it there can be no real recovery. I find some hope in the fact that the importance of mental health has gradually gained salience over the last decade but so much more is needed.
This regional training was one example of how to put MHPSS on the map and allow Movement colleagues from across the region to exchange ideas, know-how and experiences. There is a need for increased networking and I would say joint advocacy work is a precondition for serious capacity strengthening within and beyond the Movement”.
