John, as Save the Children’s lead advisor for mental health and psychosocial support, my job is to ensure our programs meet children's psychosocial needs in addition to other challenges they may face. When an emergency like the war in Ukraine strikes, I make sure we address the long-term impact that conflict can have on children’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

With all this in mind, today I am asking you to join me and Save the Children’s sister organization, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), in urging Congress to pass the Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings (MINDS) Act. Let me share with you why this Act is so important:

Passing the MINDS Act will help secure funding for critical mental health support initiatives for children around the world like Save the Children’s Healing and Education through the Arts (HEART) program, which helps children recover from conflict by expressing themselves creatively.

This critical bipartisan legislation lays the groundwork for a global mental health strategy and emphasizes the needs of vulnerable populations, including children facing crisis, those living in poverty and conflict zones, women, girls and other marginalized communities. But we need advocates like you to join SCAN now to help ensure that it passes: Please, click here to urge your lawmakers to pass the MINDS Act now.

Thank you for being an ally in our fight to protect children impacted by conflict and other emergencies. Together, we can help them recover from unimaginable hardships and have the hope of a brighter future, creating change that truly will last a lifetime.

Sara Hommel
Lead Advisor, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, International Programs
Save the Children