For seven years, our teams worked to improve the provision of basic medical services and mental health support in the country’s Deep South, a region that has been plagued by sporadic fighting for two decades.  

We collaborated with local organisations in the provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, to increase access to healthcare, especially for survivors of ill-treatment who are hesitant to seek assistance, or who are excluded from existing services. We ran a holistic programme, with a particular focus on mental health, which included individual and group therapy, psychosocial education, and stress management. We also offered physiotherapy, pain management, and social support, and organised community-based activities to raise awareness of mental health issues.  

Due to an overall decrease in the level and intensity of the violence in recent years, and our decision to hand some of our activities over to our partner organisations, we closed the project in June.

Meanwhile, in northern Thailand, we assisted patients from Kayah and Kayin states[1] in eastern Myanmar with referrals for specialised healthcare in facilities in northern Thailand, as they are unable to obtain these services over the border, due to the ongoing conflict.
 

[1] also known as Karenni and Karen states.