Heartbeat of Humanity The IFRC Psychosocial Centre

In this episode Communication Officer at the IFRC PS Centre, Villads Zahle interviews Moaaz Allahham, a young Syrian man forced onto an irregular route to Europe, Maria Marga, an activist working for Collective Aid to assist people on the move at Serbia's border with the EU, and Sarah Harrison, an IFRC PS Centre expert on the pressures, stress and mental health implications of ongoing abuses along EU borders.       

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Trine Rosa Larsen interviews Kenya Red Cross MHPSS practitioners Soony Wendy, Leyla Semkiwa, and Albert Migowa about the new KRCS MHPSS Framework, operating the toll-free 1199 helpline, mental health stigma in Kenya, suicide prevention, methadone clinics, the El-Nino floods, and caring for staff and volunteers. 

 In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews MHPSS Technical Advisors Arz Stephan and Anna Goloktionova about the concepts of 'survivor guilt' and 'moral injury' and how they impact people including Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers who often are among the first responders. 

In a time where people, either in person or on social media, are witnessing many devastating armed conflicts in Armenia, Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine - to mention a few, as well as one environmental crisis after another with earthquakes and floods - understanding these concepts can help protect our mental health and navigate feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. 

Survival guilt and moral injury are psychological phenomena spread around humanitarian work, where the contrast between the altruistic mission and the harsh realities faced by aid workers can lead to profound emotional distress. Survival guilt arises when individuals feel an overwhelming sense of culpability for having survived a crisis or conflict while others did not. In humanitarian contexts, this guilt may stem from witnessing the suffering and loss experienced by the populations being assisted.
Moral injury, on the other hand, is a deeper psychological wound resulting from actions or witnessed events that transgress one's ethical or moral beliefs. Humanitarian workers may struggle with moral injury when faced with the inherent dilemmas of providing aid in complex, often volatile environments. The difficult decisions made to prioritize resources or navigate ethical quandaries can haunt individuals long after the mission ends.
Addressing these psychological challenges is crucial for the well-being of aid workers and the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts. Support systems such as buddy systems or peer-to-peer support groups, debriefing sessions, and adequate resources play pivotal roles in mitigating the impact of survival guilt and moral injury.
Furthermore, organizational policies need to acknowledge and proactively address these issues to foster a trauma-informed humanitarian workforce. 


For more information:
Research in this field includes articles such as "The Psychological Impact of Providing Care to Traumatized Populations" (Smith et al., 2019), "Moral Injury in Humanitarian Aid Workers" (Williamson et al., 2020), and reports from renowned institutions like the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières. Understanding and mitigating survival guilt and moral injury are imperative for sustaining the mental well-being of those dedicated to alleviating global suffering, including: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/06/13/aid-worker-emotions-can-obstruct-meaningful-local-humanitarianism-localisation/

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, IFRC Psychosocial Centre Technical Advisor Ea Suzanne Akasha talks to Mozhdeh Ghasemiyani, psychosocial focal point at MSF Denmark, about how we can support children during conflicts or disasters.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Head of MHPSS Technical Unit Sarah Harrison and Dr. Frédérique Vallières, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Trinity Centre of Global Health, introduce the Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies micro-credential. The course aims to equip learners with critical skills for the development, management, and monitoring of mental health and psychosocial support programming in humanitarian emergencies.

The Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Emergencies micro-credential: https://www.tcd.ie/courses/microcredentials/mhpss-in-humanitarian-emergencies/ 

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Trine Rosa Larsen interviews MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton about memorials, what they are, and what are some of the things that should be considered when wanting to achieve a permanent memorial - because - what do you do when for instance family members want their loved ones to be remembered when perhaps survivors or the local community at the place where the crisis happened want nothing more than to forget and move one? Have a listen and find out.

The podcast Heartbeat of Humanity is about mental health and psychosocial support.
The podcast is mainly for staff and volunteers in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, especially staff and volunteers working in mental health and psychosocial support services.
Listen to the podcast here or subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or wherever you find your podcasts.