Heartbeat of Humanity

In this episode Communication Officer at the IFRC PS Centre, Villads Zahle interviews Moaaz Allahham, a young Syrian man forced onto an irregular route to Europe, Maria Marga, an activist working for Collective Aid to assist people on the move at Serbia's border with the EU, and Sarah Harrison, an IFRC PS Centre expert on the pressures, stress and mental health implications of ongoing abuses along EU borders.       

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Trine Rosa Larsen interviews Kenya Red Cross MHPSS practitioners Soony Wendy, Leyla Semkiwa, and Albert Migowa about the new KRCS MHPSS Framework, operating the toll-free 1199 helpline, mental health stigma in Kenya, suicide prevention, methadone clinics, the El-Nino floods, and caring for staff and volunteers. 

 In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews MHPSS Technical Advisors Arz Stephan and Anna Goloktionova about the concepts of 'survivor guilt' and 'moral injury' and how they impact people including Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers who often are among the first responders. In a time where people, either in person or on social media, are witnessing many devastating armed conflicts in Armenia, Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine - to mention a few, as well as one environmental crisis after another with earthquakes and floods - understanding these concepts can help protect our mental health and navigate feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Survival guilt and moral injury are psychological phenomena spread around humanitarian work, where the contrast between the altruistic mission and the harsh realities faced by aid workers can lead to profound emotional distress. Survival guilt arises when individuals feel an overwhelming sense of culpability for having survived a crisis or conflict while others did not. In humanitarian contexts, this guilt may stem from witnessing the suffering and loss experienced by the populations being assisted.Moral injury, on the other hand, is a deeper psychological wound resulting from actions or witnessed events that transgress one's ethical or moral beliefs. Humanitarian workers may struggle with moral injury when faced with the inherent dilemmas of providing aid in complex, often volatile environments. The difficult decisions made to prioritize resources or navigate ethical quandaries can haunt individuals long after the mission ends.Addressing these psychological challenges is crucial for the well-being of aid workers and the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts. Support systems such as buddy systems or peer-to-peer support groups, debriefing sessions, and adequate resources play pivotal roles in mitigating the impact of survival guilt and moral injury.Furthermore, organizational policies need to acknowledge and proactively address these issues to foster a trauma-informed humanitarian workforce. For more information:Research in this field includes articles such as "The Psychological Impact of Providing Care to Traumatized Populations" (Smith et al., 2019), "Moral Injury in Humanitarian Aid Workers" (Williamson et al., 2020), and reports from renowned institutions like the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières. Understanding and mitigating survival guilt and moral injury are imperative for sustaining the mental well-being of those dedicated to alleviating global suffering, including: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/06/13/aid-worker-emotions-can-obstruct-meaningful-local-humanitarianism-localisation/

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Technical Advisor Ea Suzanne Akasha talks to Mozhdeh Ghasemiyani, psychosocial focal point at MSF Denmark, about how we can support children during conflicts or disasters.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Head of MHPSS Technical Unit Sarah Harrison and Dr. Frédérique Vallières, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Trinity Centre of Global Health, introduce the Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies micro-credential. The course aims to equip learners with critical skills for the development, management, and monitoring of mental health and psychosocial support programming in humanitarian emergencies. The Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies micro-credential: https://www.tcd.ie/courses/microcredentials/mhpss-in-humanitarian-emergencies/ 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Trine Rosa Larsen interviews MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton about memorials, what they are, and what are some of the things that should be considered when wanting to achieve a permanent memorial - because - what do you do when for instance family members want their loved ones to be remembered when perhaps survivors or the local community at the place where the crisis happened want nothing more than to forget and move one? Have a listen and find out. The podcast Heartbeat of Humanity is about mental health and psychosocial support.The podcast is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Trine Rosa Larsen is warming up to October 10 (World Mental Health Day 2023) by interviewing three very different people who work with MHPSS and youth. Take a listen to Louise Graabæk (Danish Red Cross Youth), Paul Klahre (World Organisation of the Scout Movement), and Fouad Sayed Issa (Head of Violet - a youth volunteer-run organisation in Syria) when they talk about why it is important to involve young people in MHPSS, how to do it, and what some of the mental health challenges faced by youth are today. Do you want to know more? See the resources below:- Danish Red Cross Youth tool - PFA for young peers (2023) - Scouts in humanitarian response for Ukraine, Six month Situation Report April - August 2022 https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/uact-scouts-humanitarian-response-ukraine-six-month-situation-report-april-august-2022 - Global Youth Mobilization. Final Impact Report - Executive Summary. 2023. https://globalyouthmobilization.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GYM-Executive-Summary-2023.pdf- WHO Youth Council: https://www.who.int/initiatives/who-youth-engagement/who-youth-council

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews Co-Chair for the IASC Reference Group for MHPSS in Emergencies  Carmen Valle-Trabadelo about the linkage between Mental Health and Human Rights.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Adviseer Arz Stephan interviews IFRC PS Centre Director Nana Wiedeman about the importance and challenges of caring for the carers.This podcast was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the soleresponsibility of the IFRC Psychosocial Centre and do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the European Union.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, PS Centre Project Officer Veronika Dietz interviews Dr Sarah Miller, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and the Program Coordinator in charge of MHPSS at ICRC,  and Louise Kryger, psychologist and the MHPSS lead in the International Department of the Danish Red Cross. Sarah and Louise explain how access to mental health & psychosocial support services across the continuum of care can be achieved. The main focus of the podcast is how collaboration and coordination can contribute to provide adequate and complementary services according to the identified needs.The tools mentioned in the podcast can be found on the PS Centre website: https://pscentre.org/what-we-do/mhpssroadmap/#toolsIn the podcast, Veronika mentions a webinar: Creating access to MHPSS across the continuum of care. The webinar is held on 18 September 9:00 CET. Find more information and signup on the PS Centre website.

In 2022, Danish Red Cross and IFRC jointly commissioned an external evaluation of the work of the PS Centre for the years 2015 to 2022. The evaluation reviewed the functions and activities of the PS Centre, seeking to highlight achievements as well as challenges in fulfilling its mandate. In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, mental health and psychosocial health specialist and external evaluation consultant Rebecca Horn presents the evaluation results.- See a Summary of the report.- Evaluation of the IFRC Psychosocial Centre – A review of activities and functions 2015-2022

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Arz Stephan and Guleed Dualeh, MHPSS Technical Advisors with the PS Centre discuss the importance of and how to ensure wellbeing for Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers.

In this podcast of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer, Trine, interviews Guleed Dualeh, IFRC PS Centre MHPSS Technical Advisor for the African Region and the Psychological First Aid focal point on Guleed's recent trip to Kenya, where he sat down with Red Cross MHPSS focal points for Kenya and South Sudan, Dorcas Khasowa (KE) and Marcos Tabule (SS), to talk about challenges and achievements of working with mental health in the Eastern African context. 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews Bethan McEvoy, MHPSS delegate for the Danish Red Cross in Ukraine, and Anna Didenko, Head of the MHPSS Unit in the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, about the MHPSS needs of Ukrainians and the Red Cross response one year into the Russia-Ukraine International Armed conflict.This podcast was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the soleresponsibility of the IFRC Psychosocial Centre and do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the European Union.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews Sarah Harrison, Head of the MHPSS Technical Unit in the Psychosocial Centre, about her mental health and psychosocial support assessment in Ukraine.This episode of Heartbeat of Humanity was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the IFRC Psychosocial Centre and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Communications Officer Jesper Guhle explores how humanitarian actors can support the mental well-being of children in migration. Participating in the podcast: Orso Muneghina, head of the Global Programme Expert Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in SOS Children’s Village InternationalChristel Voldby Winther, Program Manager of Mental Health in the Migration -and Refugee section in the National department of Danish Red CrossEa Suzanne Akasha, MHPSS Technical Adviser in the IFRC Psychosocial CentreTeresa Sorde Marti, professor of Sociology at the Autonomous University and principal investigator of the REFUGE-ED projectLinks:EPSUM: https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/mental-health-psychosocial-support-children-in-migrationResources on Child Friendly Spaces on the PS Centre websiteREFUGE-ED: https://www.refuge-ed.eu/

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Technical Advisor Ea Suzanne Akasha focus on the mental health and psychosocial needs in Afghanistan. Ea talks to MHPSS Technical Advisor Diana Rahimi about  working in a marastoon, and Danish Red Cross MHPSS delegate Nives Vudric stationed in Kabul about  the plans for scaling up the  mental health and psychosocial support programs in Afghanistan.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews Sarah Davidson, Head of Psychosocial & Mental Health at British Red Cross, and Sarah Harrison, Technical Team Lead in the IFRC Psychosocial Centre.Sarah and Sarah are co-leading one of the five working groups within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement implementing the Movement's MHPSS commitments.  Working Group  one dedicated to Basic Psychosocial Support across Sectors.Working group one have put together resources and produced spreadsheets as part of their work. Some of the products created are: Assessment Monitoring Tools and Preparedness Plans, Resources Challenging Mental Health Stigma and Mapping of Basic PSS Training Courses.In the podcast, the MHPSS Framework is mentioned several times. Find more information about the MHPSS Famework here: https://pscentre.org/what-we-do/movement-resource-room-mhpss-policy-and-resolution/the-mhpss-framework/You can also  find more information about the work of implementing the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Roadmap, Resolution and Policy on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support on the PS Centre website: https://pscentre.org/what-we-do/movement-resource-room-mhpss-policy-and-resolution/

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity,  IFRC Psychosocial Centre Project Assistant Veronika Dietz interviews Eva Svoboda, Deputy Director of International Law and Policy of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Eva is co-leading one of the five working groups within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement implementing the Movement's MHPSS commitments,  Working Group  five, dedicated to advocating for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support and in the podcast episode Eva explains why advocating for MHPSS is so important.You can find more information about the work of implementing the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Roadmap, Resolution and Policy on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support  on the PS Centre website: https://pscentre.org/what-we-do/movement-resource-room-mhpss-policy-and-resolution/

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Senior Communications Advisor Jesper Guhle interviews Technical Team Lead Sarah Harrison about how Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers can implement suicide prevention services in their programmes.In the podcast, a suicide prevention guide is mentioned. Find it here: https://pscentre.org/?resource=suicide-prevention