IMPACTS OF WAR: GAZA’S LONG-STANDING PSYCHOSOCIAL CRISIS
War has a catastrophic effect on the health and well being of communities. Perhaps one of the scariest and most dreadful aspects of war—and conflict in general—is that it can have devastating psychological consequences on people, which oftentimes linger for a lifetime.
The pain, stress, and trauma that accompany war strip people of life’s greatest aspects and destroy communities and nations in their entirety. War has been shown to lead to mental health disorders, inevitably hindering people’s ability to live and function normally and disrupting their daily lives.
The Gaza Strip has long been a place of psychosocial war and trauma. For the past 16 years, the region has developed a mental health crisis due to the constant violence, blockade, restriction of movement, and extremely poor living conditions. Adults and children alike have witnessed horrific scenes of bloodshed and carnage, have likely been displaced, injured, or experienced the loss of a loved one at least once in the past 2 decades, and have survived on limited resources like food, water, and electricity their entire lives. Prior to October 7, more than 70% of Gaza’s population suffered from psychosocial and mental health problems and disorders.
The recent war on Gaza has been nothing short of catastrophic. The brutal attacks have not only destroyed civilian life and infrastructure, but have extended to what many would call psychological warfare. 48 days since the start of the war, these attacks have killed, injured, and displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.2 million population, creating death and destruction in every inch of the Gaza Strip and leaving people with unimaginable pain and trauma.
JUZOOR’S RESPONSE
Psychosocial Support Program
Since the start of this war, Juzoor has positioned itself on the frontline, taking charge of multiple shelters across the Gaza Strip. We implemented an emergency psychosocial program in each of these shelters, assembling teams of psychosocial professionals to offer support to the children, women, and the elderly residing in these facilities, especially those who have lost loved ones and are battling with stress, anxiety, and trauma.
Juzoor has also has taken steps to recruit and train volunteers on psychosocial support. These trained volunteers are deployed to our shelters to actively contribute to the program's implementation.. These trained volunteers are deployed to our shelters to actively contribute to the program's implementation.
Our work was initially concentrated within 13 shelters in the North, but we have recently expanded to include a total of 100,000 displaced individuals across the Gaza Strip.
Psychosocial Support for Children
Around 50% of Gaza‘s population is under the age of 18. Children are amongst the most vulnerable and most affected by this war, and they also make up a big portion of Gaza‘s displaced population currently residing in shelters. As part of our psychosocial support program, our trained psychosocial support groups have been conducting support sessions and recreational activities for these children on a daily basis. Our teams have been planning and carrying out activities like handball, tug of war, and hide & seek, and we have also managed to supply and distribute recreation kits for children and families which contain products to carry out activities with like drawing, drama, and sports.... Read Full Report >>