World Mental Health Day Editorial: our Movement is defined by lived experiences – let’s make them count

Today on October 10, World Mental Health Day is marked across the globe under the theme of “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change“. With more than 18 million staff and volunteers under our banner – the majority of whom are part of the communities they serve – the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is defined by lived experience. For the Movement localisation is not an ambition – it is a reality – it is our organisational DNA and has been in place since our inception in 1863. 

I would like to take the opportunity to commemorate our volunteers and staff across the globe including the 110,000 to 125,000 peers delivering mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in communities affected by armed conflict, emergencies and disasters. Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are the truest expression of humanity. I would also like to acknowledge that their dedication is also a sacrifice – that their physical and mental wellbeing is part of their investment – and that accordingly we have an obligation to protect and support them.

With climate change fuelling and worsening wildfires, floods and droughts no Red Cross Red Crescent staff or volunteer is a stranger to emergencies and disasters. When you add health crises, epidemics, forced displacement, social inequality, persecution and mariginalisation to the equation it is evident why our Movement is so needed. There are currently more than 130 active armed conflicts in at least fifty countries, it can be estimated that at least 4 million RCRC volunteers and staff live and work in armed conflict settings. It is well documented that national humanitarian workers (including volunteers and staff) face disproportionately high physical and emotional risks, including violence, exposure to infectious diseases and harassment.

Let me provide a few examples from some of our volunteers providing services at the frontlines of humanitarian support – we collected their testimonies for a recent article entitled “Voices from the front line: Mental health and psychosocial experiences of Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers and staff working in armed conflict contexts” published in the International Review of the Red Cross.

“In 2017, during intense conflict, I was in the field constantly. I was kidnapped and detained twelve times. These experiences caused psychological trauma and changed my life completely.”

“I hear a lot of sorrow from the women; I hear a lot about their problems. Sometimes when I sit alone, I hear some of their thoughts, some of their words, some of their crying. I cry myself sometimes”.

“Sometimes I come across a situation that touches me, and when I come back home, I recall what I saw. I also have those feelings that I wish I had a way out of seeing this thing that I saw. So sometimes it really affects me”.

All these volunteers and staff members identified team and peer support as the primary source of emotional support. At the same time many found comfort, pride and inspiration in being part of the Movement. It is of course a privilege to be part of a Movement grounded in humanity that generates a feeling of unity and solidarity – even more so to work alongside so many brave volunteers and staff   who accompany individuals, families and communities in need – but it can never be taken for granted. We must cherish, earn and develop this positive collective identity, and a vital component is the protection of the physical and mental well-being of ourselves, and each other.  

Let me end this World Mental Health Day editorial with a recommendation to visit the MHPSS Hub resource library.  Our resource library is the Movement’s knowledge bank and resource centre for National Societies, the IFRC and the ICRC providing MHPSS services and activities. It contains hundreds of resources covering multiple languages, formats (videos, podcasts, documents, infographics etc.,) and themes including: Caring for staff and volunteers: Resources – MHPSS Hub

Sarah Harrison, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub.