Friend, I started writing this email before the incomprehensible news of the horrific killing of 19 elementary school children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. All I can think is that no child should ever die just because they went to school. No child should die because of our inaction — whether they live in Texas, Nigeria or Afghanistan. This is not how it should be. I am grieving with their families, their community, every parent and each one of you.

The collective trauma we are all facing right now underlines the need for each of us to care for our families' and our own mental health. All month long, Project HOPE has been recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month. We want to highlight the vital work to end the silence around mental health stigma — and expand care to build a world where everyone has the support they need to protect their whole health.

 4 MENTAL HEALTH MYTHS >>> 

Emotional distress and mental disorders, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, are practically ubiquitous. Mental health services are overwhelmed, especially in areas afflicted by conflict and other crises. Russia’s devastating attacks on the Ukrainian people, however, pose a particular concern for Project HOPE’s work in Central and Eastern Europe, and the challenge of providing appropriate psychosocial support cannot be overstated.

 MENTAL HEALTH IN THE UKRAINE CRISIS >>>

All Ukrainians, but health care workers in particular, have proven their strength and fortitude. But no person should be forced to suffer the atrocities that they are enduring. We must be conscientious about the long-term effects of war and trauma on their mental health and emotional well-being, and remember that, unlike physical wounds, these injuries are not easily seen or stitched up.

 PROJECT HOPE STAFF ON LIVING THROUGH CRISIS >>>

In addition to delivering shipments of medicines, medical supplies, and other support to health facilities in Ukraine, Project HOPE is collaborating with local partners that can provide counseling services. In Poland, Romania, and Moldova, we've also hired experienced mental health leads with clinical backgrounds, responsible for developing and implementing local programs.

At the onset of the COVID pandemic, Project HOPE employed an online training platform specifically for mental health concerns to build resiliency among health care workers. Those training courses are projected to reach more than 50,000 health workers across five continents.

We are planning to utilize similar online training tools to teach psychological first aid and help health care providers in the Ukraine crisis — as well as explore the use of group sessions, language training and other efforts to build capacity.

 HOW WE'RE EXPANDING MENTAL HEALTH CARE >>>  

Mental Health Awareness Month is an important reminder to focus on what people worldwide are experiencing, the pain they are dealing with, and how we are responding — as parents and siblings, friends and coworkers, patients and health workers. Our mission is to empower health workers to address their community’s needs in a sustainable way for everyone.

 WHAT CARE LOOKS LIKE WORLDWIDE >>> 

It takes all of us to create a culture that normalizes speaking out against mental health stigma and speaking up for the treatment and care we all deserve. By lifting the veil of mental illness, we can better support those who are hardest hit — like our heroic health care workers and communities facing terrible violence and displacement like in Ukraine.

Let’s become the ones who create the culture of safety, healing and care for everyone.

Thank you,
Rabih Torbay,
President & CEO