Peter Ventevogel

Where does sport fit within mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)?

When designed and delivered with intention, it can play a meaningful role across the entire system of support.

@gulsahkurt.bsky.social
@peterventevogel.bsky.social

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. Happy birthday!!

He was also a refugee.

Intervention Journal on LinkedIn: #mhpss #mentalhealth #physicalactivity #coxsbazar 🌍 Could physical activity (PA) be the missing link in mental health support for displaced communities? A recent study highlights the potential of physical…

Physical activity as a missing link in MHPSS?

Thanks Intervention Journal for giving us the opportunity to provide background on a our recent field report from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

@gulsahkurt.bsky.social
@peterventevogel.bsky.social
@sportanddev.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/posts/interv...

A brief workshop on physical activity is acceptable, appropriate and feasible for #MHPSS workers.

Thanks to our colleagues from @unhcr.org in Bangladesh & the Olympic Refuge Foundation we were able to develop, conduct and evaluate this training program

journals.lww.com/invn/fulltex...

Meet Sarah, our #MHPSS Policy Officer at HealthNet TPO! She's enhancing #mentalhealth support in crisis-affected communities, she trained staff at #UNHCR refugee camps in Burundi and advocated for safety and dignity. Her work empowers local actors for #sustainable, community-driven MHPSS programmes.

In Memoriam Bénédicte Duchesne : Intervention Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas An abstract is unavailable.

In Memoriam Bénédicte Duchesne.
Last summer, our wonderful colleague Bénédicte, Senior MHPSS Officer in UNHCR MENA Bureau passed away. We miss her dearly. With some of her friends and colleagues I wrote an obituary in 'Intervention' that you might appreciate. journals.lww.com/invn/fulltex...

In Memoriam Bénédicte Duchesne : Intervention Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas An abstract is unavailable.

In Memoriam Bénédicte Duchesne.
Last summer, our wonderful colleague Bénédicte, Senior MHPSS Officer in UNHCR MENA Bureau passed away. We miss her dearly. With some of her friends and colleagues I wrote an obituary in 'Intervention' that you might appreciate. journals.lww.com/invn/fulltex...

NAVIGATING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING CHALLENGES FOR REFUGEES FROM UKRAINE - 2nd Edition In 2024, to assess the health and mental health situation of Ukrainian refugees, their access to services, and the barriers they face across countries, Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) health and ...

36% of Ukrainian refugee households in 10 countries have at least 1 member with mental health & psychosocial issues affecting daily functioning. Less than half of those with MHPSS issues sought support but those who received support had improved well-being. @unhcr.org
data.unhcr.org/en/documents...

NAVIGATING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING CHALLENGES FOR REFUGEES FROM UKRAINE - 2nd Edition In 2024, to assess the health and mental health situation of Ukrainian refugees, their access to services, and the barriers they face across countries, Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) health and ...

36% of Ukrainian refugee households in 10 countries have at least 1 member with mental health & psychosocial issues affecting daily functioning. Less than half of those with MHPSS issues sought support but those who received support had improved well-being. @unhcr.org
data.unhcr.org/en/documents...

Yesss, it is out, with some delay: the latest issue of Intervention, Journal for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict-affected Areas. Check it out!
journals.lww.com/invn/pages/c...

It is indeed very sad, Peter. We will have to find other ways to support traumatised people and to strengthen their resilience!

When Life-Saving Psychosocial Care Programs are Forced to Stop Work For 40 years the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) has supported survivors. Those who come to our clinics include people who suffered unspeakable horrors and lost everything, many because they oppos...

It makes me sad to see how high quality psychotherapeutic programmes had to stop overnight. I have seen the dedication & professionalism of the CVT work in Ethiopia, Uganda en Kenya and hope they can soon restart. Mental healthcare in postconflict zones is essential care. www.cvt.org/articles/whe...

Global meeting of Country-Level MHPSS Technical Working Group Co-Chairs 2025 organised by IASC MHPSS Reference Group starts today in Addis Ababa.

Experts call for greater focus on mental health support for vulnerable groups Women, who often shoulder both individual and family responsibilities, such as caring for children, are especially vulnerable during times of crisis, said Dora Byamukama, a legal...

Important work on mental health & psychosocial support (MHPSS) and peacebuilding in the African Great Lakes Region. I am happy to read that excellent experts such as Diogene Karangwa from Rwanda and Moses Mukasa Bwesige from Uganda are among the speakers.
www.newtimes.co.rw/article/2382...

Experts call for greater focus on mental health support for vulnerable groups Women, who often shoulder both individual and family responsibilities, such as caring for children, are especially vulnerable during times of crisis, said Dora Byamukama, a legal...

Important work on mental health & psychosocial support (MHPSS) and peacebuilding in the African Great Lakes Region. I am happy to read that excellent experts such as Diogene Karangwa from Rwanda and Moses Mukasa Bwesige from Uganda are among the speakers.
www.newtimes.co.rw/article/2382...

When Life-Saving Psychosocial Care Programs are Forced to Stop Work For 40 years the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) has supported survivors. Those who come to our clinics include people who suffered unspeakable horrors and lost everything, many because they oppos...

It makes me sad to see how high quality psychotherapeutic programmes had to stop overnight. I have seen the dedication & professionalism of the CVT work in Ethiopia, Uganda en Kenya and hope they can soon restart. Mental healthcare in postconflict zones is essential care. www.cvt.org/articles/whe...

Counselling offers Afghan women a safe space to share their mental health struggles | UNHCR In Afghanistan, increasing restrictions on women and girls, a worsening economy, and decades of conflict have contributed to a mental health crisis that is particularly impacting women.

Counselling offers Afghan women a safe space to share their mental health struggles.
@unhcr.org

A data-driven look at how promoting employment fosters refugee mental health - UNHCR - goo.gl/alerts/RXgjVw #GoogleAlerts
@unhcr.org

Fahmy Hanna: a passion for equity The fact that mental health was an overlooked and under-represented area of medicine was exactly what drew Dr Fahmy Hanna to it. While speaking to The Lancet Psychiatry, he said “I have a deep interes...

My good colleague Fahmy Hanna from WHO works tirelessly to improve mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people in humanitarian crises. Read about him and his work and what drives him in this portrait in The Lancet Psychiatry
@who.int @mhpsshub.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

We seek a consultant for a 3-month assessment in West Bank to determine needs of human rights defenders & civil society orgs. 10 years’ experience in int’l development, with focus on human rights, GBV, MHPSS, civil society & capacity development. Click to apply:
reliefweb.int/job/4125470/...

Mental health and psychosocial support | UNHCR Refugees face harsh conditions that can put their mental health under significant stress. UNHCR's Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programming builds the capacity of local health staff a...

To learn more about the work of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on mental health and psychosocial support, see the dedicated webpage: www.unhcr.org/what-we-do/p...

Regional Refugee Response Plan 2025-2026 | UNHCR Europe

The Ukraine Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan 2025/26 describes what 266 organisations (UN, Red Cross, NGO's) supporting Ukrainian refugees in Europe want to do. Mental Health & Psychosocial Support is a priority and reflected throughout the plan! @unhcr.org
www.unhcr.org/europe/publi...

Regional Refugee Response Plan 2025-2026 | UNHCR Europe

The Ukraine Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan 2025/26 describes what 266 organisations (UN, Red Cross, NGO's) supporting Ukrainian refugees in Europe want to do. Mental Health & Psychosocial Support is a priority and reflected throughout the plan! @unhcr.org
www.unhcr.org/europe/publi...

Congratulations dear friends in the RCRC Movement. May the new MHPSS Hub further strengthen the work on mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings.

UN experts horrified at blatant disregard for health rights in Gaza following deadly raid on Kamal Adwan hospital GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the...

The new year starts with ongoing assaults on Gaza including on healthcare. This must stop. Please end the "blatant disregard of the right to health in Gaza".
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

#Gaza: Israel´s ongoing war on Gaza has forcibly displaced over 1.9 million leaving families to endure winter in fragile makeshift tents with minimal protection from the cold.

Health is a fundamental human right for all, including refugees, forcibly displaced and stateless people.

#HealthForAll

Meditation is increasingly recognized for its contribution to #MentalHealth - a fundamental #HumanRight - & its alignment w/SDGs.

On #MeditationDay, learn + about ECW's action to set aside at least 🔟% of budget to fund school-based MHPSS in places of conflict & crisis.

👉https://buff.ly/3BISsO1

🏚️ Destroyed homes.

🌪️ Families uprooted.

💔 Lives shattered.

But there’s hope. UNHCR is committed to staying and delivering aid to Syrians facing unimaginable challenges as they try to rebuild after nearly 14 years of conflict and displacement.

Here is how you can help: bit.ly/4guA8a9.

Statement on Syria by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi | UNHCR Syria is at a crossroads – between peace and war, stability and lawlessness, reconstruction or further ruin. After 14 years of conflict, recent developments bring hope that the suffering of the Syrian...

www.unhcr.org/news/speeche...