BARCELONA — Donors and humanitarian organizations are still failing to recognize the value of low-cost mental health interventions as part of humanitarian responses, according to Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Mental health is an area that continues to be overlooked and underfunded in humanitarian efforts, Chapagain said, adding that “[we] ignore this at our own peril.”
In an interview with Devex, Chapagain spoke about his experiences during the response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China, when IFRC worked with the local Red Cross to distribute psychological support materials to survivors who had lost homes, family members, and livelihoods, and to provide spaces where they could access practical and emotional support. On visiting and talking with these communities, Chapagain said it was an “eye-opener” to learn they had valued this support as much as the construction of new homes.