A Brief Review of The Mangrove Activities in 2005

On the 26th of January, the office of “The Mangrove: Psychosocial Support and Coordination Unit” became functional. During the first six months of its operations, The Mangrove liaised with over seventy local, national and international organisations or groups relevant to the psychosocial sector, including the following:

Centre for Performing Arts; Kind Heart Friends Club; FORUT; PPDRO; United Sikhs/Mental Health Outreach Project; Third Eye; Shade; Shadow; Terre des hommes; DESMIO; Netra; ESCO; Unicef; Batticaloa Befrienders; Koinonia; NESEDA; Professional Psychological Counselling Centre; Catholic Youth Association; Family Rehabilitation Centre; Beacon of the East; SIM-Sri Lanka; OXFAM GB; OXFAM Australia; Escape; Save the Children in Sri Lanka; Sarvodaya; SLRC/DRC; Ministry of Health Mental Health Directorate; WHO; Mental Health Unit, Teaching Hospital Batticaloa; Handicap International; MDM Portugal; Peace & Community Action; Batticaloa Zonal Education Department; IOM; Psychosocial Support Programme; ACTED; YMCA Batticaloa; CARE International; Butterfly Peace Garden; National Youth Services Council; EHED; Survivors Associated; Meesan; Norwegian Development Fund; PEDO; POPE; Suriya WDC; KPNDU; Jesuit Refugee Services; TRO; Canadian Relief Organisation; VSO; Ashram; Inayam; FCE; Ramakrishna Mission; YMCA Kallar; ACF; World Vision; Women’s Coalition for Disaster Management; Female Teachers Union Kattankudy; Sewalanka; Amici dei Bambini; Independent Danish Physiotherapy Students; Operation USA; Kinderberg International; IWARE; MSF – France; Yale-Griffin Team; Psychologists Without Borders (Spain); Merlin & GVC (Italy).

Mapping of agencies still operational within or involved with the district as of January 2006 is currently underway, in collaboration with UN OCHA, and should be completed by mid-March 2006.

Below is a brief review of activities undertaken by The Mangrove Network:

Coordination: The Mangrove conducts regular general coordination meetings (every other week for the first 6 months after the disaster, and then every month since then) for organisations and individuals involved in the psychosocial sector. These meetings focus on information sharing, mapping of services, discussion of key issues and strategic vision development for the district. Given the large number of agencies organising play activities for children, The Mangrove has also conducted specific play activity meetings (every other week during the initial 9 months after the disaster), for managers and front-line workers. The objectives of these meetings have included the establishment of minimum access and organising standards, information and resource sharing, facilitation of collaborations between organisations and also exchanges of activities between field workers. The Mangrove has also convened issue-specific meetings around special concerns, such as the lack of community-participation in relief activities, the need to postpone public exams for school children after the tsunami, and the development of guidelines for commemorating the anniversary of the tsunami disaster. Recognising the need to establish linkages with the state disaster response mechanisms, The Mangrove was involved in lobbying for and playing a central role in the Protection & Psychosocial Task Force (PPTF), through which formal relationships were established to the district structure for disaster management. Through the PPTF (which met on a weekly basis for 8 months, and has since met monthly), The Mangrove is able to engage with local government authorities as well as other sectors of humanitarian intervention (ie. Shelter, Water-Sanitation and Livelihood Task Forces amongst others), lobbying for practices that promoted psychosocial wellbeing (ie. private bathing and washing facilities for women, provision of information to displaced populations, consultation prior to relocation of displaced populations, etc).

The Mangrove has also attempted to establish Divisional Secretariat (sub-District) level coordination mechanisms that are closer to field implementers and beneficiaries, but this has been largely unsuccessful - with the notable exception of the Psychosocial Referral Desk in Vakarai run by personnel from a number of organisations active in the area. The fact that decision-making for agencies is not devolved to DS level structures is a key factor that militates against meaningful coordination at that level. However, The Mangrove has developed (and continues to update) information resources (ie. Contact Sheets for Humanitarian Workers, Resource Books for Agencies, DS level Maps and Grama Niladhari division level databases) in collaboration with network members and the UN Organisation for Coordination of Humanitarian Agencies (OCHA) to assist frontline workers and humanitarian managers in making referrals locally at a DS level.

In addition, The Mangrove provided direction to organisations newly arrived in the district or which were embarking on psychosocial projects for the first time. This included advice and guidance on project design and implementation, as well as on where specific services were required or how new projects might link with existing services. There was a particular focus on assisting organisations to work collaboratively, and in some instances The Mangrove was able to link organisations that mutually benefited from collaboration (ie. a local theatre and arts group was linked with an international agency involved in camp management to facilitate entertainment and community social events in a few displaced persons’ camps). Given the large numbers of organisations involved in the psychosocial sector in Batticaloa, The Mangrove was often called upon to mediate in conflicts or coordination difficulties between organisations in field. In one extreme example, over fourteen separate organisations were attempting to implement psychosocial interventions with the same population (at the Thiraimadu resettlement site) without any coordination between them. In such instances, The Mangrove would facilitate dialogue between the parties, and using the principles of Do-No-Harm and the language of the ‘best interests’ of the affected populations, would attempt to produce a workable framework for cooperation between the various players. In the case of the Thiraimadu resettlement site, the organisations are now engaged in a (slow) process of joint participatory needs assessment and planning of interventions.

Capacity-building: Enhancing the capacities of individual workers and institutions to provide quality services is a key objective of The Mangrove, and human and financial resources were mobilised from within the district and from external sources to provide training, supervision and support to agencies and personnel in the psychosocial sector. The Mangrove attempted to assist organisations that were new to psychosocial intervention, and whose personnel had limited training. It also attempted to channel professional training resources coming into the district, to link them to initiatives and groups that would be sustained beyond the initial months of the disaster. During the first six months, over 27 organisations (including international and local agencies and teams) received individual support and advice from The Mangrove personnel on their psychosocial programmes. Each organisation was met a minimum of 2 times and a maximum of around 30 times during the six month period. During the initial six month period, over 16 separate training/capacity-building events were organised through The Mangrove. These ranged from ½ day sessions on “What is Psychosocial?”, four day workshops on “Understanding Fears and Tsunamis”, micro-skills training sessions for member organisations to a 21-day training on “Play Interventions with Children”. Over 30 separate organisations participated in these events. During the second six months, the numbers of training events have declined, although The Mangrove continues to provide programme guidance and training around specific issues. The Mangrove also draws from the human resources of its membership to provide weekly group supervision sessions for social workers and counsellors.

Although The Mangrove has advocated for long-term capacity-building inputs into State and non-government service structures since the initial weeks after the tsunami disaster, after the passage of six months of the disaster response, The Mangrove has redoubled its efforts to promote initiatives to establish high quality lasting mechanisms for training personnel and providing them ongoing professional development opportunities. At present, the two major foci of The Mangrove’s efforts in this regard are 1) the establishment of applied psychosocial courses and training capabilities at the Eastern University; and 2) the strengthening of the recently established Batticaloa Counsellors Association.

Specific Projects/Interventions: The Mangrove also played a role in initiating or supporting strategic interventions within the psychosocial sector. For example, in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, The Mangrove coordinated a multi-disciplinary multi-agency group that conducted rapid assessments of access to psychosocial services and education for displaced children living in camps. Certain problems highlighted by these assessments were fed into the Education Task Force or referred to relevant agencies, whilst information about other difficulties and positive experiences was used when providing guidance to organisations working with children in camps. In collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, volunteers from the Sri Lanka Red Cross, the Sri Lanka Police, personnel from the Batticaloa Hospital Mental Health Unit and personnel from Shade (a community mental health service provider), The Mangrove established a procedure for supporting family members of the missing who would arrive at local police stations to identify photographs of persons who had died in the tsunami. The Mangrove also played a key role in lobbying and providing guidance for the consultation of displaced communities in the placement of water and sanitation facilities in temporary camps. The network also provided a platform from which a programme for disaster preparedness in schools was launched with the involvement of the Zonal Departments of Education, Medicos Dos Mondos Portugal and the Mental Health Unit. In the event of tsunami rumours, The Mangrove has mobilised personnel to manage panicking crowds and provide reassuring and accurate information. During the run-up to the first anniversary of the tsunami disaster, The Mangrove issued guidelines on sensitively commemorating the event and supporting communities, which helped shape the plans of many organisations both within the district and beyond. The Mangrove also utilised an impasse between over 14 organisations implementing psychosocial interventions at the Thiraimadu resettlement site to initiate a participatory needs assessment and planning process involving the residents of the site and the personnel of the various organisations. The Mangrove has continued to lobby and provide models for monitoring and support to separated children who are currently in community-placements within the households of their relatives.

Planned Activities for 2006
Although The Mangrove must respond to a dynamic (and sometimes unstable) situation within the Batticaloa district and psychosocial sector, the following activities have been identified as priorities to be pursued in 2006:

Planned 2006 Key Activities for Coordination
§ Improving mapping for coordination and planning, in collaboration with UN HIC
§ Improving referral resources (ie. contact lists and psychosocial personnel database) and systems (referral points at Divisional Secretariat level)
§ Establishing a psychosocial website for Batticaloa
§ Further support to coordination at specific locations (ie Thiraimadu Resettlement Site)

Planned 2006 Key Activities in Capacity-Building
§ Development of Certificate Courses in collaboration with Centre for Social Research and Development, Eastern University
§ Strengthening of psychosocial practitioner associations (ie. Batticaloa Counsellors’ Association)
§ Facilitation of long-term training initiatives, (ie. Directed Play Intervention Training for childcare workers)
§ Development of Samuththana Mental Health Resource Centre, in collaboration with UK-SL Trauma Group
§ Provision of support and supervisory services for field staff and management
§ Facilitation of Play Activity Exchange events
§ Provision of support and guidance to individual projects and organisations
§ Organisation of lectures, discussions and reading groups
§ Development of needs assessment and monitoring capabilities of organisations and personnel
§ Coordination and ‘harnessing’ of ad-hoc training activities

Planned 2006 Key Activities in Advocacy
§ Improvement of documentation on district-level and site-specific issues
§ Promotion of better needs assessment
§ Strengthen network links to District Task Forces and other sectors of humanitarian and development work
§ Improving representation of psychosocial network concerns at District-Level Meetings and at Divisional-Level Meetings

Planned Special Projects for 2006
§ Campaigning for establishment of a Monitoring & Support System for Separated Children linked to the District Child Protection Committee and Department of Probation and Child Care
§ Support to cross-regional networking initiatives, in collaboration with the district networks and the Psycho-Social Forum of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
§ Contribution to initiative to develop a national psychosocial policy through the Ministry of Social Welfare
§ Development of participatory needs assessment and programme development within the Thiraimadu resettlement site

Tsunami Anniversary Guidelines for Organisations Engaged in Post-Tsunami Work

IT'S NOT OUR DAY. WHAT CAN WE DO?
Guidelines For Organisations on Commemorating the 1st Anniversary of the Tsunami Disaster

Given the interest of many humanitarian, development and other organisations to hold commemorative events or undertake building of memorials on or around the 1st Anniversary of the Tsunami Disaster of 26 December 2004, many people in Batticaloa have been reflecting on what would constitute respectful and psychosocially sensitive ways for organisations to assist families that have endured losses due to the disaster. As members of The Mangrove: Psychosocial Support & Coordination Network, representatives of 25 organisations met to discuss these issues and our response. The guidelines below are the outcome of these discussions, and are offered as assistance to organisations and personnel in their own deliberations and choices about the best ways to support the individuals and communities they work with. Consideration of these issues, and some critical self-examination, has already caused some of us to change our organisations' plans for the anniversary.

# 1: Do Not Disrupt Activities Planned By Families For The 26th Of December
Families that have endured losses will often have planned to undertake certain activities, according to their religious or family customs (see list below). Most of these will take place within the privacy of homes, and will involve family members, relatives and close friends. It is usually required that such activities take place on the death anniversary itself. Therefore, organisations holding other public events on the 26th that require the participation of community members may disrupt these. Religious institutions will offer opportunities for communal/public remembrance, if families wish to participate in this. It is recommended that organisations arrange their commemorative activities on other days (preferably after the 26th of December). Personnel from organisations may also wish to spend time with their own family, relatives or friends who may have suffered losses.

List of likely commemorative religious activities:
* Hindus may go to make devotions at a Kovil and also make offerings and pay for a puja; may offer alms to poor or an orphanage/elders' home on the anniversary or an appropriate time according to the lunar calendar (thidhi); may invite relations to visit home and give a simple vegetarian lunch; may visit the burial place (if possible); if it is a man who had died, may give clothes to a poor person of same age.
* Christians may offer mass; may print a card or poster in memory of person (in the case of the
wealthy); may give alms in memory of deceased; may hold prayer meetings at home (especially free churches); relatives may visit home.
* Muslims may read the Holy Koran at home, may give money and assistance to the poor, and may attend special speeches or prayers at a Mosque.
* Buddhists may give alms to monks or poor or homes; may perform pirith ceremonies at home or Buddhist temple; may have relatives visit home for pirith ceremony and special meal.

# 2: Plan Commemorative Events AFTER The 26th Of December Rather Than Before
Planning commemorative events after the tsunami anniversary may give people who have suffered losses a chance to perform their own personal remembrance and traditional grieving activities before participating in public events. This may increase their capacity to manage the strong emotions that commemorative events might bring up. Consider also that Christmas, the new calendar year and Thai Pongal festivals may be significant events for which families may have made plans.

# 3: Do Not Disrupt Ongoing Activities And Contact With Families Because of Special Commemorative Events
Although we do not want to interfere with planned family commemorative events, we do want to maintain our regular support to families with whom we have developed a relationship over the post-tsunami period. It is better to maintain your regular activities, rather than suspend these up for organization of special events. Past experience shows that special events can cause disruption of ongoing activities and contact with community members, as workers are called away for special preparations and planning. Individuals or families may experience emotional distress around the time of the tsunami anniversary, and may appreciate access to community workers whom they know and trust. They may need the regular support/contact especially at
this time. This may be particularly important for people who might be having suicidal ideas (remember that people sometimes contemplate and attempt suicide around anniversaries of difficult events), although workers should not be blamed if persons who attempt suicide do not choose to confide in them. The best thing to do is to continue normal activities and contact with families, being sensitive to the fact that people may appreciate opportunities to chat or discuss issues. Organizations who are already working with tsunami-affected community members may have identified people with special support needs, for example, individuals with no immediate family members, individuals who have threatened or attempted suicide, or individuals who are generally not supported by the rest of the community. These people may be especially vulnerable on or around the 1st anniversary day and may need extra support. A support individual or team could be in place to give "preventive support" or ready to respond
if a specific need arises.

# 4: Public Events & Memorials Must Be TRULY Led By Communities And Families
It is important first to have a genuinely open discussion with communities/families about whether they want some type of commemoration event or memorial and whether they want organisations to play a role in this. If they do ask for your assistance, ensure that your role is purely supportive in terms of funding or technical advice. Decline to coordinate, design, plan or implement the event/memorial, to avoid the risk that your organisation becomes too influential in the process. If organisations were to play a strong leadership role, it might lead to inappropriate choices, undermine community (emotional) investment, and also make the organisation vulnerable to blame in the event of disputes around the appropriateness of the event/memorial (ie. which symbols or rituals are used or not used). If a memorial or event is to be appropriate and meaningful, it is essential that families and communities take a lead in every aspect of the process and invest in these themselves in whatever way they can. A lack of willing community participation may be sign that the memorial/event is somehow inappropriate and must be re-thought or changed. There must be sensitivity to the fact that community members may be divided on what should be done, and that some of this may be
related to where individuals/families are in their grieving process.

Remember that having organisational logos, credits or banners at commemorative events or on memorials might be considered in very bad taste.

# 5: Small Events Are Safer And Make More Sense
It is best to organise or support commemorative events with small numbers of participants that already know each other (ie. a few families that are neighbours; members of a fishing cooperative). This will maximise participation in planning and the actual event, as well as provide better opportunities to personalise the event and accommodate diverse views/needs. Smaller events will also make it easier to monitor how individuals are responding to the event and provide appropriate assistance/support. In larger events, this will be very difficult, and there is a risk that individuals may not feel they have a stake in what is happening. Larger events may also have a greater potential for getting out of hand (ie. group hysteria or symbolic suicide attempts), and it is far more difficult to intervene to calm the situation.

# 6: Memorials That Are Also Useful May Last Longer
Traditionally, many memorials also double as utilities. Public halls, bus-stands, children's parks, new buildings or renovations to village temples or churches in the names of the deceased are common forms. These are often used and maintained well, whereas many of the purely symbolic memorials around Batticaloa are sadly uncared for and are in poor condition.

# 7: Organisations May Wish To Focus On Their Own Staff
Organisations may wish to facilitate functions for reflection on and commemoration of work done by their staff members if they are a well-defined group that has shared experiences during the tsunami. In particular, it may offer a chance for reflection on both difficult and positive experiences of working together at the time of the disaster.

# 8: Recognise The Work Done By Emergency Workers And Volunteers
Organisations may wish to organise functions to honour the work done by volunteers, health staff, police, municipality workers and others during the time of the disaster. Public functions and small gestures of appreciation may be valuable to persons who experiences hardships or difficulties during their work immediately after the tsunami.

# 9: Do Not Use Emotionally Charged Or Exploitative Material
At commemorative events or in publicity materials, avoid using unnecessarily emotionally charged stories, pictures, photos or videos of the disaster and the destruction it caused. These memories will be vivid enough for the people affected by the disaster, without being forced to confront them. Maintaining a calm respectful tone at commemorative events will help people to manage and deal with their emotions in a constructive and safe way.

# 10: Protect Families and Individuals From Intrusion By Media And Documentation Officers
In order to protect families and individuals from intrusion into their private commemorative events and gatherings, do not facilitate visits by media personnel, organisations' documentation officers or visiting dignitaries. Families may not feel able to refuse requests when they come through an organisation that is helping them in some way. We must be careful not to exploit our relationships with beneficiaries. As an alternative, suggest that media/organisational personnel or other visitors may attend public functions where privacy is less of an issue, and where event organisers may be able to negotiate ways in which sensitive filming or photography may take place.
___________________________________________________________________________________
These guidelines were drawn up by 34 representatives of 25 organisations belonging to The Mangrove: Psychosocial Support & Coordination Network. These guidelines are offered to stimulate reflection by humanitarian, development and other organisations planning commemorative activities to mark the anniversary of the tsunami disaster.

If you wish to make comments on these guidelines, or wish to receive more information, please contact The Mangrove (Tel: +94-65-2227018; via this weblog) or members of the network.

Tsunami Warning Update

BBC World News reports that threat of a tsunami from the earthquake off the coast of Sumatra on 28th March appears to have passed. Vigilance is urged in the next twelve hours, in case of further aftershocks.

Tsunami Warning

A tsunami warning was issued in Sri Lanka following a reported earthquake (measuring 8.2 on the Richter Scale) off the coast of Sumatra. Government advice has been to evacuate coastal residences and for people to move to areas of safety. There has been no confirmation yet from Indonesia or elsewhere of actual tsunami waves. Residents of coastal areas are advised to keep listening to the radio for updates on the situation.

Ananda Galappatti
12.17 am.
29th March 2005

Information on The Mangrove: Psychosocial Support and Coordination Unit, Batticaloa

The Mangrove was established in the aftermath of the tsunami to hit the coast of the Batticaloa district on 26th December 2004. The tsunami affected over 250,000 people directly, with nearly 70,000 persons currently displaced (approx. 38,000 in welfare camps), 2,846 confirmed dead, 1,027 missing and 2,375 injured[1]. Apart from the tragic human loss and direct threat to life as a result of the tsunami, there has been the terrible material and social devastation of affected communities. Homes, livelihoods, social networks and community infrastructure have been disrupted or destroyed altogether. These impacts, together with the additional difficulties and vulnerabilities produced by conditions of displacement and loss, present a considerable assault on the psychosocial wellbeing of persons affected by the tsunami.

In the weeks following the disaster, humanitarian agencies, state institutions and other groups working within affected populations began to identify psychosocial impacts as a major area for intervention. As an increasing number of groups (from within and outside the district) began to initiate programmes in this area, it was felt that a lack of coordination and cooperation between service providers might hamper efforts to provide support to affected persons. On the 12th of January 2005, an open meeting was held in Batticaloa to provide an opportunity for organisations working (or intending to work) in the psychosocial sector to share concerns. The primary issues raised were that of the need for coordination and the need for capacity-building for organisations – both of which were seen as insufficient at present to meet the needs of the affected communities. A core group of 7 individuals, broadly representing the constituencies present at the meeting, was chosen to design a mechanism through which these needs could be met. On the 19th of January, this core group outlined a concept for a coordinating unit to support and guide the activities of the psychosocial sector within the district. This concept was provisionally endorsed by all organisations represented at the meeting, and the core group was charged with making the concept operational. On the 26th of January, the office of “The Mangrove: Psychosocial Support and Coordination Unit” became functional.

[1] Situation Report 18 January 2005, 9.30 am, Tsunami Disaster Information Unit District Secretariat Batticaloa.


Objectives of The Mangrove:

· To facilitate technical support to all organisations involved in psychosocial response to the tsunami disaster, to enhance the quality of services provided to affected persons.

· To coordinate and synchronise the various efforts by state, non-government and other groups to provide psychosocial interventions for persons affected by the tsunami disaster.

· To liaise with the state institutions and other agencies involved in relief, resettlement and reconstruction work to promote practices that enhance or protect the psychosocial wellbeing of affected populations.


Operating Principles/Modalities of The Mangrove
· The Mangrove is a temporary body which draws all its resources (human and material) from a loose membership of organisations and individuals.
· The Mangrove is NOT a legal entity, but is rather an informal association of local and international non-governmental, bilateral and government agencies working in the Batticaloa district.
· The Mangrove has NO facility for receiving or handling financial and material resources directly, and responsibility for safeguarding and accounting for such resources must be taken by individual members (organisations or persons) of The Mangrove or persons to whom they delegate this responsibility.
· All assets (ie. equipment, vehicles) used by The Mangrove will be loaned from members or donors and must be returned at a specified time or when The Mangrove ceases to be active.
· All salaries /stipends of persons working with or through The Mangrove will be paid by members. Contracts for such personnel must be with member organisations, although terms of reference with regards their activities related to The Mangrove must be drawn up in consultation with the Executive Group (see below) of The Mangrove.
· Responsibility for managing The Mangrove and overseeing its activities will lie with an Executive Group comprised of the core group selected on the 12th of January 2004: Fr. Paul Satkunanayagan (Butterfly Peace Garden/Professional Psychological Counselling Centre); S. Spiritheyon (ESCO); Amara Hapuarachchi (Independent); M. Ganesan (Batticaloa Teaching Hospital); Suba Mahalingam (UNICEF); P. Prasanthan (Inayam/District Youth Club Federation); Ananda Galappatti (Independent).
· The Executive Group is authorised to take operational decisions regarding the activities of The Mangrove. Decisions that have been taken or are pending will be presented to members at the weekly General Meetings (10am-12pm on Wednesdays, and minutes of which are posted at themangrove.blogspot.com) and this provides a mechanism for feedback or input by members.
· The Executive Group has delegated responsibility for the day-to-day management of The Mangrove to a Psychosocial Advisor/Coordinator (Ananda Galappatti), but will provide regular support and guidance to this person wherever possible. The Executive Group and The Mangrove also receive support from a Development Facilitator (A. Sornalingam) in relation to developing organisational processes and managing the coalition dynamics. The Executive Group will meet with the Psychosocial Advisor/Coordinator and Development Facilitator at a weekly management meeting.
· All disagreements or disputes are to be settled (in the event that all other forms of negotiation have failed) by a simple majority vote at the weekly General Meetings. Each member (organisation /individual) present will have one vote.
· Membership of The Mangrove is not binding. Members may join or opt-out at any time.
· The Mangrove does NOT take responsibility or credit for the actions of any of its members, nor do the members bear responsibility for the actions of The Mangrove.
· Members commit to upholding the core values of The Mangrove and coordinate through the unit.

Primary Activities of The Mangrove
To identify and facilitate access to relevant human and technical resources (from within the Batticaloa District, nationally and internationally).
To provide the following services to its membership and affected persons:
1. Supervision and burn-out prevention activities
2. Facilitation and design of programmes/activities for psychosocial intervention
3. Counselling and therapeutic sessions for referrals (during special office hours)
4. Training activities for skills building and organisational capacity-building
5. Provision of advisory consultations (when requested) on programme design, implementation, policy and needs assessment
· Design and provision of guidelines, tools, conceptual frameworks and coordinating mechanisms
· Mapping of district services, activities and actors at a district and DS division-level
· Interacting with national-level processes related to policy-formulation and programming within the state and non-government sectors
· Lobbying and provision of input from a psychosocial perspective into key relief, resettlement and reconstruction structures / focal points for the district.

Core Values of The Mangrove
Focus on tangible outputs; solution-focussed rather than problem-focussed
Commitment to low running costs
Responsive to external needs and opportunities
Inclusiveness
Respect for diversity in a) theoretical approaches b)gender / ethnicity / religion / c) local cultural practices and approaches, modes of healing.
Commitment to have all communications take place in Tamil & English
Emphasis on enabling and engaging members rather than regulating them
Total transparency in terms of the nature of activities, strategies and resources
Critical
Practical
Commitment to a long-term perspective
Respect for interests of local groups
Place priorities and perspectives of survivors at centre of psychosocial services
Focus on best practices - informed by prior experiences in region and nationally
Emphasis on enhancing the already available resources (organisations, structures, human & social capacities) within communities
Collective ownership and personal responsibility
Commitment to following principles of “Do No Harm” and conflict sensitivity, and to work in ways congruent with the Sphere guidelines, CHA good practice guidelines & National Directorate guidelines.
Time-limited (establish a date and mechanism (incl. indicators) for review).

What You Can Do Right Now to Support Wellbeing (Guidelines on Psychosocial Support for Helpers and Friends)

People in areas affected by tsunamis may be experiencing many different emotional and physical responses at this time. Some of these responses include confusion, fear, hopelessness, sleeplessness, crying, difficulty in eating, headaches, body aches, anxiety, and anger. They may be feeling helpless; some may be in a state of shock; others may be aggressive, mistrustful, feeling betrayed, despairing, feeling relieved or guilty that they are alive, sad that many others have died, and ashamed of how they might have reacted or behaved during the critical incidents. There may be some experiencing a sense of outrage, shaken religious faith, loss of confidence in themselves or others, or sense of having betrayed or been betrayed by others they trusted.

These are all normal reactions to extremely dangerous or stressful situations, or where people have felt helpless or overwhelmed. They do not mean that these people are traumatised, mentally disturbed or mentally ill. The majority of people will experience these reactions only for a short period of time; others may experience them for longer.

You may be able to support people get through these normal reactions and reduce further distress while meeting their basic and other practical needs by following the suggestions below.

DOs
* Do listen to people who share their stories, if necessary again and again.
* Do be friendly, compassionate and caring, even if people are angry or demanding.
* Do give practical help or assistance to people as and when required.
* Do help people to contact others either through post or making telephone calls on their behalf.
* Do engage people in meeting their own needs.
* Do find out where the government and non-government services are located and direct people to the appropriate services available in the area.
* Do understand the emotions of people who have suffered losses, and take them seriously. There is no right or wrong way for people to feel, given the horrific situation.
* Do give reliable information about what tsunamis are and how they occur. This will help people understand the situation.
* Do protect people from further harm, as they may be vulnerable to assault and abuse by those who are taking advantage of the chaotic situation.

DON’Ts
* Don’t force people to share their stories with you, especially very personal details. If they don’t want to talk much, do not disturb them.
* Don’t tell people what you think they should be feeling, thinking or doing.
* Don’t make promises about what you will do for them, if you are not sure about this.
* Don’t give simple reassurances to people, saying ‘everything will be ok’, or ‘at least you have survived’ or ‘others have suffered more than you’.
* Don’t tell people why you think they have suffered, especially giving reasons about their personal behaviours or beliefs.
* Don’t tell people what you think they should have or could have done, whilst in the critical situation, especially to save loved ones.
* Don’t criticise existing services and activities being carried out in these areas, especially in front of people who are in need of these services. Support the service providers to make the services better.
* Don’t separate surviving family members and relatives from one another, if possible, especially children.
* Don’t label people as traumatised.

Prepared by Psychosocial Support Programme and National Council for Mental Health, Sahanaya in collaboration with Dr. Jagath Bandara and Dr. Mahesh Rajasuriya from the College of Psychiatrists, Colombo. Please send in your comments and feedback to pspcp@eol.lk or sahanaya@panlanka.net.
01st January 2005

Psychosocial Care and Protection of Tsunami affected Children: Inter-Agency Guiding Principles (IRC, SCUK, UNICEF, UNHCR)

Introduction

Exposure to natural disasters has a devastating impact on the psychological and social well-being of children, adolescents and adults. It is now widely accepted that early psychosocial interventions that help to mitigate the effect of trauma, alleviating psychological distress, and strengthen resiliency must be an integral part of humanitarian assistance. In the case of children and adolescents, psychosocial interventions also aim to maintain or re-establish their normal development process. The broad framework for planning and implementing psychosocial programs is provided by a) the relevant Articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and b) UNHCR Guidelines on Protection and Care of Refugee Children.

What do we mean by “psychosocial”?

For the purpose of this statement, “psychosocial” refers to the dynamic relationship that exists between psychological and social effects, each continually inter-acting with and influencing the other.

“Psychological effects” are those which affect different levels of functioning including cognitive (perceptions and memory as a basis for thoughts and learning), affective (emotions), and behavioural. “Social effects” pertain to altered relationships, family and community networks, and economic status.

The following principles based on a body of evidence should guide psychosocial programming

* Nearly all children and adolescents who have experienced catastrophic situations will initially display symptoms of psychological distress, including intrusive flashbacks of the stress event, nightmares, withdrawal, inability to concentrate, and others.

* Most children and adolescents will regain normal functioning once basic survival needs are met, safety and security have returned and developmental opportunities are restored, within the social, family and community context.

* Some children will require more specialized interventions to address their suffering and help restore their flow of development. Immediately after traumatic events, activities and opportunities which allow children to talk about or otherwise express painful experiences and feelings, such as physical and artistic expression, are most beneficial if facilitated by people the children know and trust, and have continued contact with.

* However, “trauma counselling”, should never be the point of departure for psychosocial programming, because structured, normalizing, empowering activities within a safe environment will help the majority of the children recover over time.

* Trauma counseling should never be provided unless an appropriate and sustained follow-up mechanism is guaranteed. Defense mechanisms exist for a reason and breaking them down before the child is ready and in a safe physical and emotional environment leaves him/her open and vulnerable to a re-traumatisation. There are serious risks associated with trauma counseling carried out by nonprofessionals.

* Dramatic consequences for a child’s life pathway can have more damaging consequences for the individual’s well-being than the traumatic event itself (an example would be a child’s loss of parents having to grow up as an orphan, or destruction of school system leaving children without education).

* The psychosocial well-being of adults, particularly parents and caregivers has a direct impact on that of children, and should thus be addressed through concurrent parent-focused psychosocial interventions.

* Children – and adults’ – participation in decisions which affect their lives has a positive effect on their mental health, empowers them and helps them to regain control over their own lives.

* Grounding all psychosocial interventions in the culture, unless it is not in the best interests of the child, is both ethical and more likely to produce a sustained recovery.


Psychosocial interventions based on the above principles:
* Reconnect children with family members, friends and neighbors
* Foster social connections and interactions
* Normalize daily life
* Promote a sense of competence and restore a person’s control over one’s life
* Allow for expressions of grief within a trusted environment, when the child is ready and follow-up is guaranteed


* Listen to children and adults before acting. Ensure that interventions are based on consultation with the affected communities, reflect what they need and take into consideration the age and stage of development of the children involved.

* Understand and respect the culture and religion of the affected population; give material and other support so that grieving and mourning practices and rites can take place.

* Help children, family members, friends and neighbours find out what happened to those who are missing, and find each other, and let them know that efforts are underway.

* Set up “child-friendly” spaces as soon as possible and activities that normalize the lives of children, give them a sense of safety, structure and predictability through drawing, puppet-making and playing, drama and songs, story-telling, sports, non-formal education, etc. These activities also allow for the release of any stored distress.

* Restore normal schooling as soon as possible.

* Encourage children to ask as many questions as they want, and be ready to answer them truthfully.

* Focus and build on interventions that strengthen the population’s resiliency and resources, and current and traditional ways of coping when they are in the best interests of the child.

* Involve youth in organizing activities for younger children: undertakings that give an affected person a sense of accomplishment has a healing effect.

* Involve children, their families and communities in the psychosocial recovery process, discussing with them their perceptions, and how they see their needs.

* Set up support group discussions, as much as possible accompanied by involvement in concrete and meaningful activities that give a sense of accomplishment and control over one’s life: recreational and non-formal education for children, common interest activities for young people, sewing, gardening, building, leading children’s activities etc.

* Promote and support interventions which preserve and reinforce the cohesion of the family, and discourage any which risks separating children from their families.

* Promote activities and opportunities to allow children to express their experiences and feelings so that they may make meaning from and integrate them into their lives, as much as possible within a familiar environment and only if:
- The child is ready for this expression – eliciting emotional material too early can cause more distress and potential harm to the child.
- We can ensure further, on-going comfort and help.

* Identify referral services for the small number of children and adults who will need professional, medical assistance (some of these people may have had pre-existing psychiatric illnesses).

* Assess the need and provide support to adults caring for children for example provision of crèches or child focused activities (e.g. child friendly spaces) which allow adults some time to recover and re-energise them so that they can provide the support children need.

* Provide training to those caring/responsible for children so that they are comfortable dealing with children’s natural distress and recognise children who may need more specialised support.

These principles represent the views of the following agencies: the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children UK (SCUK), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Organizations wishing to work on behalf of children are strongly encouraged to endorse these principles.

PSYCHOSOCIAL RESOURCES

Please follow the links below to access resource documents that may be of use in planning psychosocial interventions in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka.

General Psychosocial Documents
Psychosocial Working Group_Conceptual_Framework.pdf
Psychosocial Working Group_Framework_for_Practitioners.pdf
Mental Health in Emergencies WHO Document.pdf
What is a Psychosocial Intervention: Mapping the field in Sri Lanka.pdf

Separated Children Documents
Ananda Galappatt Presentation on Children and Residential Care at Dialogue, Colombo 2003.pdf
David Tolfree Community Based Care for Separated Children at Dialogue, Colombo 2003.pdf David Tolfree Notes for Sri Lanka Pre-Conference at Dialogue, Colombo 2003.pdf

Information on the December 26 Tsunami
(It has been identified that some children in areas affected by the tsunami have no information on 'why the sea came over the land'. This lack of information means that many children continue to feel unsafe whilst living in coastal areas. The following documents are offered as tools with which to initiate discussions with children - to share information and address their fears.
Why_Did_The_Sea_Come_Over_The_Land_ENGLISH Why_Did_The_Sea_Come_Over_The_Land_TAMIL Why_Did_The_Sea_Come_Over_The_Land_SINHALA Information_on_Tsunami_(Complex English)
Thanks to SB Chatterjee for technical support in getting these documents linked. Thanks also to organisations and individuals whose documents I have borrowed for use in this post. AG