The Role of Local and International Organizations in Supporting Mental Health in Yemen

Yasmine Abdulhafeez – Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope)

Muna Ahmad (pseudonym), a woman in her thirties from Al-Hodeidah Governorate, shares her experience with a mental health support program implemented by a local organization with the support of international organizations over one month. She describes how it helped her cope with the psychological challenges she faced as a result of the difficult living conditions her family is going through due to the conflict in the country.

Muna tells Voice of Hope: “My father and brothers’ income declined after the destruction that affected many areas of the country, including Al-Hodeidah Governorate, where they were working. Our living conditions deteriorated significantly, which negatively affected the psyche of many family members, including myself. I started to feel frustrated and hopeless, and I loved to sit alone all the time, with a desire to cry, especially when I noticed the deterioration of my father’s health.”

Muna adds: “A colleague directed me to the application link for this program, and I felt very enthusiastic because I felt the need to get out of the gloomy atmosphere I was living in, and the need to sit with a doctor or a mental health specialist at least, especially since I could not afford to visit a specialized center for the treatment of mental illnesses. I was very happy with this opportunity, and I was able to register and be accepted into the program and attend all sessions remotely at spaced intervals.”

Muna continues: “The psychological specialist who conducted the interviews with me was very nice, and she succeeded in making a positive change in my psyche. She helped me overcome many of the problems that I was facing, and I got rid of the psychological pressure that I was suffering from.”

Muna Ahmad’s experience is a model of the devastating psychological effects that conflict leaves on people’s lives in Yemen.

Local Organizations Working on Mental Health

In May 2024, Mental Care Foundation announced that it had assisted more than 10,187 women and girls in Yemen in just four months, through the “Providing Mental Health, Psychosocial Support Services to Women and Girls” project, supported by the United Nations Population Fund.

In addition to Mental Care Foundation, many local and international organizations, centers, and institutions in Yemen implement various psychological support programs, including psychological support sessions and free consultations. Among these programs is the program of the Center for Economic Studies and Media, which targeted journalists in Yemen and provided them with psychological support through direct sessions and communication applications.

The Center for Economic Studies and Media, through the Media Freedoms Observatory, organized a training workshop for mental health specialists in Taiz City, to enhance their skills in providing support to journalists working in difficult conditions, dealing with psychological trauma, work pressures, and the risks journalists face.

Speaking to Voice of Hope newspaper, Haifa Al-Udaini, head of the psychological support clinic at the center, explained that this workshop is part of the psychological support program launched by the center in mid-October 2022 and that the program witnessed a large turnout from journalists. They were divided into groups in the first phase, contracting with 5 female psychological specialists.

Al-Udaini explained that the center held more than 192 psychological support sessions, including direct sessions for those residing in Taiz City, and sessions via the Zoom platform for those residing outside the city. It has achieved positive results and helped many journalists to overcome difficulties and return to practicing their work normally.

She points to the mechanism of work when providing psychological support to the beneficiaries of the sessions conducted by the center, saying: “An electronic record is used to describe the beneficiary’s condition in a general manner, without detailing specifics, to maintain privacy between the counselor and the beneficiary. Special codes are assigned to protect the identities of those visiting the clinic.”

The Role of International Organizations

Many international organizations working in the humanitarian field in Yemen for many years have provided many services within their activities and programs, including psychological support, especially in the areas most affected by the conflict. The International Organization for Migration continues to provide psychological support to displaced people and migrants in Yemen, to alleviate their suffering and help them overcome the psychological effects of the ongoing conflict in the country.

According to a report issued by the organization entitled: “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Helps a Migrant Overcome His Painful Experiences,” the organization provided psychological support to an estimated 50,000 migrants and displaced people in various parts of Yemen in 2022.

According to the report published in December 2022, the psychological support program provided by the organization aims to help beneficiaries deal with the psychological trauma they have been exposed to as a result of the armed conflict, overcome feelings of anxiety and depression, and improve their mental health in general.

The organization focused on governorates that received large numbers of displaced people, such as Marib Governorate, to which millions of Yemenis have fled from the conflict in the country. As part of its efforts, the International Organization for Migration opened a health clinic in Al-Jafina camp, one of the largest displacement camps in Marib, and provided mental health support services to several displaced people.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also continues its efforts to provide psychological support to children in various parts of Yemen. It is one of the most important international organizations working to protect children’s rights and care in Yemen.

As part of its efforts, UNICEF organized many training courses in 2023 and 2024, benefiting hundreds of teachers and specialists. In June 2023, the organization organized a training course for 150 teachers, school principals, and specialists on providing psychological support to children in conflict situations. In July 2022, it organized a training course for 82 teachers and social workers on providing psychological support to children affected by the conflict in Yemen. In August 2023, UNICEF participated in implementing a training course for 120 teachers in Lahj Governorate on providing psychological support to school students.

In addition to the training courses, UNICEF is working to establish child-friendly spaces in various parts of Yemen. These spaces are a safe environment where children find support and assistance in overcoming the psychological effects of conflict. According to a report issued by UNICEF entitled: “A Safe Haven for Yemeni Children Affected by Conflict,” the number of child-friendly spaces in Aden City has reached 15, providing psychological and social support to children with disabilities and displaced children, helping them adapt to their new circumstances, and maintaining their mental health.

Doctors Without Borders is one of the international organizations that has provided many services in the field of mental health to Yemenis, to alleviate their suffering and help them overcome the psychological effects of the ongoing conflict in the country.

Doctors Without Borders provides an integrated mental health program at Al-Gamhuri Hospital in Hajja Governorate, which aims to provide psychological and social support to citizens and to provide psychological treatment to those suffering from severe mental disorders.

Doctors Without Borders is one of the most important international organizations that provides medical services to Yemenis, especially those most affected by the conflict that is witnessing most parts of the country, as well as people deprived of health care who suffer from diseases prevalent in their communities.

The program includes many services, including individual and group sessions with mental health professionals, awareness programs about mental health, social support activities, and referral services to other services such as medical care.

Impact of Organizations on Society

Amal Al-Ariqi, Team Leader at Rory Peck Trust, emphasized the important role that civil society organizations can play in providing psychological support to Yemenis. However, their role is still limited, noting that few development and awareness programs consider psychological support as one of their pillars.

She explained that this is due to the belief of some that psychological support is a luxury for individuals, ignoring its importance in helping individuals recover from or during crisis that may have disrupted their lives. Psychological support is essential in helping people return to normalcy after experiencing negative events. Yemenis are still suffering from shocks due to the political and economic events and changes that Yemen is witnessing.

Al-Ariqi pointed out that there are a good number of international organizations that deal with specific groups, such as children, women, displaced people, or refugees, and put in place a project or activity to provide some kind of psychological support to these groups, such as UNICEF.

In an interview with Voice of Hope, Al-Ariqi indicated that the World Health Organization website indicates that there is only one address for an organization working in the field of psychological support for journalists in Yemen, which is the Family Development and Guidance Foundation.

She explained that Yemeni journalists are among the groups most vulnerable to psychological pressure due to the nature of their work, which involves covering news, interviewing victims, being exposed to risks, and fear of persecution. In addition, they experience significant economic pressures. Therefore, the need of for psychological support for journalists is as crucial as material and training support, enabling them to continue their important work in conveying the truth and exposing human rights violations.

Al-Ariqi regretted that psychological and social support for journalists in Yemen is often limited to a small number of local organizations that have recently realized the importance of this support, provided some training activities, and provided counseling sessions for Yemeni journalists.

She pointed out that there are several misconceptions prevalent in Yemeni society about psychological support, including that psychological support is only for people suffering from mental disorders, that seeking psychological help is evidence of a weak personality or lack of faith, and that psychological support is a luxury or a Western term that does not suit Yemeni society.

She pointed out that these beliefs also affect Yemeni journalists, as many of them do not realize the importance of psychological support and consider psychological trauma to be a natural part of their work. This harms journalists, their families, and society as a whole.

Al-Ariqi pointed out that providing psychological support in Yemen faces enormous challenges, perhaps the most prominent of which is the lack of specialized expertise in this field. While the number of doctors specializing in physical diseases is increasing, the number of psychological counselors and therapists remains very limited.

She stressed that local organizations and civil society play an important role in providing psychological support in Yemen, especially in light of the absence of government support, or the lack of interest from social channels surrounding the individual, such as family, school, and workplace. She added that it is necessary to work on increasing training programs for specialized cadres and qualifying them in the field of mental health, spreading awareness about the importance of mental health, changing the negative societal view of it, and providing financial support to organizations working in the field of mental health to enable them to provide better services.