OUR CORRESPONDENT
JORHAT: A five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on psychosocial support and mental health services for flood-affected communities began at Bosco Institute, Jorhat, on Friday, with over 40 young people representing various organisations and flood-affected communities across Assam participating.
The programme is a joint initiative of the Inter Agency Group (IAG), Jorhat, a humanitarian coordination platform of local organisations, and Bosco Institute. It aims to strengthen the capacity of local organisations, community volunteers and frontline workers to address the mental health and psychosocial needs of disaster-affected people.
Participants from different flood-affected districts are receiving practical training to enable them to share their knowledge with community members and volunteers in their respective areas.
The sessions are being conducted by Dr Subhasis Bhadra and Dr Ajay Kumar Goyal of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). The training covers psychological distress, basic psychosocial support and appropriate responses to the needs of disaster-affected communities.
Bosco Institute Director Fr Jerry Thomas said disaster recovery involved not only rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods but also helping people regain safety, dignity and hope.
IAG Jorhat Convenor Tirtha Prasad Saikia stressed the need to integrate mental health support into humanitarian responses, noting that flood-affected people often experience emotional and psychological distress long after the waters recede.
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