IsraAID mental health professional Anva Ratzon is delivering Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) trainings to Gabriel Project Mumbai teams in order to equip them for working in the tribal communities in India. The two-week training will provide GPM staff with skills and techniques for supporting the community in regulating stress and promoting self-care.
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| Ms Ratzon delivering trainings on MHPSS at GPM Center |
The critical issue of mental health is often overlooked in marginalized communities that are experiencing the emotional and psychological stresses of living in extreme poverty.
“How can we talk about mental health in a community with no food or livelihood security?” posed Ms. Ratzon, a social worker specializing in community MHPSS, to the participants. “These communities are the ones that most need resources to manage their own mental health,” she emphasized.
“There is a general fear amongst community members that working on mental health is akin to having a
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| GPM Social Protection Team in a break during trainings |
mental illness, and that has its own taboos,” explains GPM Programs Director, Thaiza Dias. “Thanks to these IsraAID trainings, our staff will be able to bring awareness of the importance of mental health, dispel myths and taboos, and encourage mental self-care.”
Ms. Ratzon has visited several primary health centers in the sub-district of Mokhada that GPM is working with, and has sat with government health workers, village leaders to evaluate a general needs assessment of the villages in Mokhada.
The MHPSS trainings will be taking place over the next few weeks, with follow-up throughout the year. GPM staff, who have been engaged in community social protection awareness campaigns through an ongoing partnership with IsraAID – will now be able to offer mental health and psychosocial support to 56 tribal communities.
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| Anva Ratzon visiting Washala Primary Health Center, Mokhada |
