In 2013, conflict broke out in South Sudan. A hopeful country—one that won its independence just two years earlier, on July 9, 2011—found itself imploding. To date, the vicious and bloody civil war between government and opposition forces is believed to have claimed at least 50,000 lives, driven 2 million people out of the country …
For someone who works all around the world, Merve Kan thinks a lot about the word “home.” Born in Turkey, she started her humanitarian relief career five years ago, after writing her Master’s thesis on the resilience of migrants and their perception of home. This theme plays itself out in her work today as a …
As a storyteller, I am deeply fascinated with mental health and psychology. These fields traverse an interior landscape that is rich and complex, providing insight into the essence of what makes people who they are. I find this intrigue mirrored in Aurore Brossault, a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Coordinator for International Medical …
The journey Andrew Jones took to his current position—managing a successful emergency child protection and psychosocial support program in eastern Ukraine—had an unlikely start: a dance conservatory in New York. “I began as a dancer,” says Jones, laughing at the distance between his initial passion and his current challenge as head of an International Medical …
Many young people in Iraq have never known peace and security. The 2003 Iraq war was followed by years of sectarian violence that erupted in heavy fighting between the Iraqi military and the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) in late 2013. Today, roughly 3 million Iraqis remain internally displaced due to ongoing conflicts, with more …
In the face of seemingly intractable social challenges, it can be hard to believe in change. But to a frontline health worker like Beatrice Essebe, International Medical Corps’ Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Supervisor in Cameroon, change is not only possible, it is an inevitability and provides a purpose. Says Beatrice: “There is nothing greater than when …
To ensure quality mental health care is more widely available for those affected by conflict and crises, International Medical Corps launched a toolkit today that will help the humanitarian community better integrate mental health into primary health care programs. The Toolkit for the Integration of Mental Health into General Healthcare in Humanitarian Settings is an …
July 2018 marks one year since Iraqi forces and their allies retook the city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), after three years of occupation. As many as 1 million people fled the city due to the conflict, but today 870,000 have already returned to their hometown. Hiba, Mental …
Even in the most advanced industrialized countries, mental health can be quite a taboo issue. In developing countries? It can be virtually nonexistent, with an average of one psychiatrist for every two million people. Things are starting to change, however—thanks in large part to people like Esubalew Haile, a psychiatrist from Ethiopia and Mental Health …
The military-political crisis that broke out in 2012 has severely crippled the healthcare system in the Central African Republic (CAR). This is especially true when it comes to mental health services. Stigmatization and misunderstandings about the causes of mental health issues and the effectiveness of treatment at the community level also impede necessary care. According …