AMURTEL Romania, thanks to funding from Americares, and the vision, courage and dedication of our Emergency Psychologist Melinda Endrefy, trained 157 mental health professionals in Ukraine to better cope with the massive pressures on the mental health system generated by the traumas of war.
She specifically prepared them to be ready to make quick interventions directly on the spot after attacks.
Key results:
• 4 Emergency Psychology ToTs were held in Chernivs, Kharkiv, with participants from the State Emergency Services of Ukraine representing each of the 24 counties of Ukraine
• 157 MHPSS professionals trained in Emergency Psychology and Self-Care techniques including art therapy and breathwork
• 600 patients of the Rorsha Sanatorium that previously had no access to MHPSS services, are now being atended by participants of the course
In addition, AMURTEL created strong partnership with key actors and authorities in the field of mental health services, ensuring continued integration of Emergency Psychology into their practices. Partnerships included: Bukovianan Medical State University (89 participants trained), the State Emergency Services of Ukraine (49 participants trained) and the State Social Services of Ukraine
It was a surprise and honor when Melinda Endrefy received a prize on the occasion of the International Day of Volunteering by the Chernivsti Local Council and State Emergency Service of Ukraine in recognition of her efforts to conduct the training in such challenging circumstances
It was also a great satisfaction that the groundbreaking work of this project will continue in a new project “Food for body, food for soul ” funded by Direct Relief USA and managed through a local Ukrainian NGO Hromada Hub that AMURTEL has been collaborating with since the outbreak of the war. The project will build on the success of the current one, providing 200 MHPSS professionals that received this training additional support in putting the new skills acquired into practical application with field trainings and collective supervision sessions.
