MEETING DIFFERING PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS IN SRI LANKA
By Bandula Jayasekara, Red Cross
A wide variety of psychological needs amongst affected people has been
left in the wake of the tsunami which struck Sri Lanka and the Danish
Red Cross is seeking to address these.
The Danish Red Cross has been running a psychosocial programme in Ampara
and Jaffna in Sri Lanka, assisting people caught up in the conflict.
It now plans to provide psychosocial assistance to people in tsunami
affected areas on the east coast stretching from Trincomalee in the
north down to Hambantota in the south.
Dr Margriet Blaauw works for International Federation’s Reference
Centre for Psychosocial Support, which is based in Denmark. It is housed
at the Danish Red Cross which pays special attention to psychosocial
programmes.
Dr Blaauw was in Sri Lanka recently on an assessment visit, meeting
with affected people, volunteers and Red Cross staff in several districts.
She says the disaster has affected various groups in different ways
and all need to be catered for when designing the programme for assistance.
For example, Dr Blaauw says fishermen face the conflicting emotions
of now being scared of the sea, but knowing it is essential to their
livelihood. They are concerned about providing for their families but
also face personal fears. She says men are as psychologically vulnerable
as anyone, but can be hard to reach.
“Most of them were agitated. They wanted to talk. They were happy
to talk about anything but not about the sea. We explain to them that
their emotions are normal,” Dr. Blaauw explains.
While men have to learn to cope with fears of returning to their trade,
the women onshore face their own traumas. Dr. Blaauw says women who
have lost husbands, fathers and brothers are feeling unsafe and uncertain.
“The concerns about their future are very strong. Many women
told us that they cry themselves to sleep at nights. A group of women
complained about headaches, neck pain, sleeping problems and nightmares,”
she said.
The needs of children present special challenges. Dr Blaauw says many
are afraid to return to their homes. Others have anxieties as they return
to school without books or proper clothing.
“Adults are busy with their own experiences and worries. There
are activities for children but, more must be done for them,”
she adds.
While victims of the tsunami obviously need assistance, Dr. Blaauw
says it is important not to neglect the psychological needs of those
involved in the relief operation such as volunteers.
"They keep going and going and feel what they are doing is not
enough. They see terrible things and destruction and these worry them
as well,” she says.
As a result of her visit, Dr Blaauw has come up with a series of recommendations:
• General support, psychological first aid and activities with
the affected population.
• Counselling for people having particular difficulty coping.
• School-based activities for children.
• Psychosocial activities for both men and women with the help
of selected local counsellors.
• The training of carefully selected volunteers to provide counselling.
Dr Blaauw believes it is crucial to get affected people involved in
providing psychosocial support and this is reflected in her recommendations.
