Focus on Mental Trauma Support for IDPs
Mental Trauma has been a major effect of conflict in Northern Nigeria. IDPs frequently suffer depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and other mental disorders, but many have very little access to a mental health professional, because of the dire shortage of mental health capabilities in Nigeria. Our focus will be on training Community Mental Trauma Counsellors to support both adults and children, and specifically, women who have suffered gender based violence (GBV)
“The past decade of bitter conflict between Nigeria’s military and Boko Haram has been an assault on childhood itself…… Nigerian authorities risk creating a lost generation unless they urgently address how the war has targeted and traumatized thousands of children” – Amnesty international
“About half of the 2.6m Nigerians who fled their homes to camps for internally displaced people [IDPs] are suffering from trauma and side effects such as depression. The vast majority of people affected are youth, it is simply a time bomb and if left untreated will “threaten the future of the country” Financial Times