Sporadic fighting across the country’s Deep South region over the last 15 years has taken its toll on the psychological health of the local people, many of whom are hesitant to seek care. The conflict has affected men, women and children alike.

Our teams work with local organisations to improve healthcare in the region, especially for survivors of ill treatment who are excluded from existing services. We run a holistic programme, with a particular focus on mental health support, which includes individual and group therapy, psychosocial education and stress management. 

In addition to basic healthcare, we offer physiotherapy and pain management, as well as social support. The project is the only one in the area providing such services to survivors of ill treatment and their families.

Raising awareness of mental health issues remains one of our priorities. We work with communities to prevent violent incidents and build mechanisms to cope with them should they occur, by running psychoeducation sessions and psychological first-aid training in counselling centres, mosques, schools and other venues in areas that have experienced numerous violent events. In 2021, we scaled up our outreach programme with the aim of extending these activities to areas where little medical care is available and reaching a greater number of people. 

MSF shares information and expertise on various aspects of mental health with local networks, groups and both state and non-state entities, to strengthen their capacity and improve referral pathways to our facilities.