Finding mental health solutions and easing access for Ukraine's communities through faith leaders

Lviv, Ukraine – Members of Ukrainian faith and youth groups underwent a five-day Psychosocial Support Training hosted by World Vision. The session took place in Lviv, Ukraine and was attended by thirty-three trainees, among them – volunteers, pastors, social workers, spiritual community leaders from across the country led by Aladin Borja, World Vision’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Technical Advisor.

The five-day session, supported by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, ACTED Ukraine and the Ukraine Response Consortium, trains on focused, non-specialized psychosocial support interventions. It includes evidence-based low intensity methods developed by the World Health Organization called Problem Management Plus (PM+), Self Help Plus (SH+), and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). 

PM+ teaches how to manage stress and practical problems, initiate behaviors to address inactivity, strengthen social support, stay well and look into the future.

SH+ allows facilitators to reach at least 30 participants or more using picture sets and audio files delivered in the language of clients.

Churches and faith communities can be a solution to the problem with the availability and accessibility of MHPSS, especially in hard-to-reach areas such as communities close to the frontlines. They also help minimize the stigma around such services.

SEL aims to help young people build crucial social and emotional competencies – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, positive relationship building, and responsible decision making.

According to Aladin Borja, Psychosocial Support Training is crucial for faith-based organizations as they often serve as an entry point to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services.

"Churches and faith communities can be a solution to the problem with the availability and accessibility of MHPSS, especially in hard-to-reach areas such as communities close to the frontlines. They also help minimize the stigma around such services,” says Borja.

Daniel Lugovskiiy, a pastor from the town of Marhanets in central Ukraine, lives mere kilometers from the front line. “Right now, I see that there are no mentally stable people around me. People are losing faith in the future, growing desperate with every day,” he describes the community distressed by the war.

“We desperately, critically need knowledge that will help us support our people and give them self-help instruments. My dream and ultimate goal is for our whole town, thousands of people, to go through the Psychological First Aid training.”

To him such training is the first step in future growth for his church as well as himself: “Our church is trying to give all the love we have to our community, but I understand that we need to grow and support people more professionally. For me this training is the foundation, but now I’m seriously considering receiving a formal qualification in the field.”

The training focuses on helping adults, as well as children and youth. “MHPSS plays an important role in shaping the mindset and overall well-being of young people, who are the country’s repository of peace and hope,” says Aladin Borja.

“By addressing their plight amidst the backdrop of the ongoing armed conflict, intergenerational trauma may be arrested and the groundwork for peace and social cohesion may be planted today.”

“Our society is losing its children because of this war,” Oleksandr, a pastor from Dnipro, agrees. “We encounter a lot of children with zero interests, zero desires. Parents are forced to deal with ongoing problems – making a living, stress, safety. One or two years don’t mean much to us adults. But children grow up so quickly,” he adds.

“In two or three years a child becomes a teenager, and that’s when the fundamentals of their future life and personality are cemented. Parents, however, often neglect them. They lose this crucial time,” explains Oleksandr.

World Vision is also working to spread the message of Ukrainian faith leaders. One of the former participants, Tetiana Lodnia from Chernivtsi, will be speaking at an event organized by World Vision and the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation during the UNHCR Global Consultations with NGOs in Geneva, Switzerland.

Tetiana aims to show the impact of the war on children, families and communities and emphasize that mental health and psychosocial support are among their most crucial needs.

Cover photo: Oleksandr Taraba, a pastor from Dnipro, and his wife Yuliya want to bring the knowledge they get in the training back to their community. 

Related Story: 33 faith and youth leaders trained on Psychological First Aid

Story and photos by Oleksandr Shpygunov, Communications Officer