One year ago, on the 6th of February, earthquakes and strong aftershocks caused great devastation in Syria and Turkey. Syria, already in crisis due to the ongoing conflict, was again hit by a disaster that affected thousands of its citizens. The earthquake caused widespread damage to infrastructure and civilian buildings in the governorates of Aleppo, Hama, Idleb and Lattakia. 

Dorcas had been working in Syria for many years when the earthquake struck. This meant that our local staff were able to respond immediately, resulting in a strong presence on the ground. In the past year, Dorcas provided ongoing food security and livelihood support, shelter assistance, MHPSS and protection services, as well as essential non-food items. The infographic below shows a summary of the support that Dorcas provided in the region: 

Food Security and Livelihoods and Shelter  

Dorcas has had a local presence in north-west Syria for years, around the cities of Aleppo and Homs. These regions have struggled with food insecurity long before the earthquake struck. The new disaster exacerbated this problem. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the availability of basic commodities was limited. With cold temperatures, especially at night, it was imperative that people had access to a safe and warm environment and a decent meal, and this was therefore a top priority in the disaster response. Dorcas Syria supported 57,805 people with (hot) meals, food parcels, lunches or food vouchers over the past year. In addition, we provided shelter assistance to 1,546 people.  

One of the people Dorcas Syria has supported through the food security services is Zainab. Zainab lives with her two sisters and her brother and his wife and children in the Al Hellok area. After the earthquake, the atmosphere in their home became one of constant tension and a sense of impending danger. The situation was made worse when her brother, Mohammad, lost his job, leaving the family to rely solely on Zainab’s meagre income. Zainab and her family registered at the Dorcas Community Centre in Hellok after she heard about it through acquaintances. Because of their difficult circumstances, Zainab’s family qualified for Dorcas’ food programme, and this provides monthly food vouchers. Zainab expressed her joy and relief when she visited the centre to collect the vouchers: ‘The burden has been lifted from my shoulders’. The family had been constantly hungry, struggling to meet basic needs for medicine, clothes and school supplies. ‘The voucher also helped us provide a variety of nutritious foods that were previously missing from our meals’. This improved the overall health of the family.

MHPSS and Protection services.  

The earthquake and aftershocks had an enormous impact on people’s lives and general wellbeing. In such a crisis, the provision of MHPSS is vital because the enormous amount of stress that people experienced could lead to a range of other complaints. Providing this has been a major priority for the team over the past year. Dorcas already had a MHPSS support team on the ground, consisting mainly of social workers and psychologists, and was able to provide MHPSS and protection services to 20,318 people in the past year.  

One of the people Dorcas supported through these services, is Rokaya. Rokaya (50) is a widow living in Aleppo with her four daughters. In the aftermath of the earthquake, Rokaya was facing numerous hardships like damage to their home, chronic illness and extreme poverty. One of her daughters received psychological first aid from Dorcas, and the family was registered to access the centre’s services. Her daughters were also deeply affected by the disaster, and Rokaya saw the support of the centre as an opportunity to alleviate her family’s psychological pain and fear.  Dorcas provided Rokaya and her family with psychological support and access to the food aid programme. She became stronger and more resilient and regained her sense of dignity. On top of that, she also formed meaningful friendships during the support sessions. Rokaya envisions a brighter future for herself and her family, emphasising the invaluable impact of the programme on her life. 

Non-Food Items 

After the disaster, there was also a great need for non-food items, such as clothes and blankets. In the past year, Dorcas reached 57,976 people with this support.  

What is needed in the coming year(s)? 

The suffering in Syria must not be forgotten. After the earthquake, there was a resurgence of attention to the needs of the Syrian people, but that attention has slowly faded. At the moment, however, the situation in Syria is worse than it was before the earthquake. Compounding the situation is the enormous inflation that the country is experiencing. An UN OCHA 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Syria estimates that some 16.7 million people across Syria will require humanitarian assistance in 20241. According to the Dutch Relief Alliance multi-sectoral needs assessment done during August and September 2023, there are many needs in different fields, that require the attention of the humanitarian sector2. These needs are for example:  

Dorcas will continue to be on the ground in Syria, providing support to those in need. Najla Chahda, Country Director of Dorcas Syria, describes Dorcas’ priorities for this year:

‘The needs of the Syrian people remain urgent, and they require the ongoing support of the international humanitarian community. Dorcas will continue to create meaningful impact and invest in sustainable change in the lives of people who are most marginalised. Key priorities for this year lie withing expanding geographical coverage to support more people in need. We will also further enhance our key approaches, like Protection through community centre activities, Food Security and Livelihoods, shelter rehabilitation and health support’. 

1Syrian Arab Republic: 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview (December 2023) 

2 Dutch Relief Alliance: Joint Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (2023). 

Each year on the first of October, we celebrate the international day of older persons. This is an important international day for Dorcas, as we focus on supporting marginalised people and communities and older people are often marginalised and their rights neglected. They often have little income and limited access to health care and social security. In addition to that, they face discrimination and stigmatisation based on cultural norms and social prejudices, like ageism. 

According to the United Nations, the number of people aged over 65 is expected to more than double from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion in 2050. The number of people over 80 years old is projected to grow even faster. These numbers increase the urgency of taking the unique set of challenges older people face seriously. In this article we elaborate further on why older people require more of our attention and share some recommendations on how you can include them in your programme.  

Lack of income and social protection 

Dorcas has community safety nets programmes for older people in seven countries: Albania, Egypt, Ethiopia, Moldova, Romania, Tanzania and Ukraine. A main problem in these countries is that older people often have little income and that pensions are so low that they are hardly sufficient for covering their daily needs. Insufficient pensions put them in a much greater risk to external shocks as they have less margin to absorb these financially. In Ukraine for example, many older people who were already marginalised have been affected greatly by the ongoing conflict that led to a massive increase in inflation. Their already challenging socio-economic position has therefore become even more dire. Our local colleagues see that older people in Moldova will often accept poor paid jobs in order to survive. All in all, the lack of social protection causes many problems for older people in the countries Dorcas works in. This must become more of a priority for civil society organisations and government actors in the coming years, as the number of older people is rapidly increasing. 

Loneliness and stigmas 

Another major issue that older people face, is loneliness and isolation. In Albania, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine for example, many older people either have no family to support them or their families moved to the cities or abroad. In Egypt, local Dorcas colleagues have experienced that older people are also often neglected by their families. Next to the practical and financial needs, this is one of the most pressing issues. Loneliness greatly affects their well-being. Older people need connection, community and the opportunity to contribute. 

Another reason why older people require our attention, is because of the challenging stigmas and prejudices they face. In Egypt, this is a major issue. There is a stigma that older people’s duty has ended, they are solely recipients of care and are no longer productive. Supporting older people and inviting them to participate in certain activities may therefor lead to opposition in certain contexts.  

Seven ways to include older people in your program

Dorcas supports older people through our community safety nets programme. In this programme, the community plays a central role in making sure people have access to the support structures they need. There are different types of community safety nets, depending on the level on which actors are involved, and a mix of different types is needed to meet the different needs of older people.  

One of the participants in this programme, is Moges from Ethiopia. Before joining the programme five years ago, Moges did not have the means to get enough to eat or pay for medical treatment. He would only eat one meal a day. His house was in very bad shape, as the back wall and roof of his house were falling apart. When Moges joined the Dorcas programme, his life has changed drastically. He is now able to eat three times a day, he gets medical treatment, his house was renovated, he actively participates in the programmes social gatherings and has made many new friends.  

Dorcas supports older people by building a social safety net around them, so that the community increasingly looks after them. We encourage different groups in the community to use their resources to support and involve them in the community. We also advocate for the rights of older people among government actors and encourage to governments to improve the social security services. 

Dorcas has seven recommendations for (I)NGO’s and other actors who are involved in contexts where older people are marginalised, in order to better protect their rights:  

Last July, Jochem Duinhof, political advisor at Dorcas, visited the Dorcas offices and community safety nets programmes in Moldova and Romania. Jochem elaborates on the challenges older people face in Moldova and Romania and how the support of the community equips them to overcome these challenges and build meaningful relationships.  

Community safety nets 

In situations where people are marginalised, safety nets are needed to support them. In a community safety net, the community plays a prominent role in making sure people have access to the support structures they require. Community safety nets are formed by multiple community actors, such as churches or volunteer organisations, and complement the social protection that is provided by the government. The community safety nets programmes of Dorcas Moldova and Romania focus on supporting older people, as they are often marginalised and excluded. A community safety nets programme for older people respond to the different needs they have, such as: a cooking club for fellowship, a social club to decrease isolation or groups that undertake income-generating activities together.  

Jochem: Older people in Moldova and Romania face some major challenges. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the gas prices have risen tremendously. They already had to make tough financial choices in the winter and now the situation has become even more dire. They often don’t have enough money at the end of the month to buy food and medicine. One of the ways they cope, is by buying preservable goods in the summer when they are cheaper. When winter comes, they chop their own wood or only heat one room in the house to safe costs. Older people also often face loneliness and isolation. Their children move away to work in the cities or abroad and it is more common that they send money back to support their children, not their parents.’ 

Jochem continues ‘What stood out to me when I visited the community safety nets programmes is what a big impact the role of the community has in the lives of older people. Their need to feel they are valued and belong is just as important as their financial needs. I spoke with several women in Moldova, who mentioned that the community helped them out of loneliness. They form friendships, visit each other outside of the organised meetings and help one another in whatever way they can. Doras contributes to a community environment in which all people, even the most marginalised, are seen and get opportunities to participate. Community structures become stronger as community members get more empowered. This is a big part of the work of Dorcas.’ 

Dorcas also supports older people through the community safety nets programmes by supplying food parcels every two months. Furthermore, Dorcus supplies seeds and materials for the cultivation of crops. The older people tend to a vegetable garden together and this supplies them with fresh produce to share among the community. There are also groups that make crafts together, which they sell. These activities increase their income, give them a great sense of achievement and it offers the opportunity to overcome some of the challenges they face together. 

About Dorcas’ community safety nets 

Community safety nets are part of our long-term objective to have an increased number of vulnerable people receive support through a community safety net. We aim to achieve inclusive social development of vulnerable people within empowered communities. The prime focus is mobilising and organising communities to take ownership of problems and work on opportunities in an asset-based way. Dorcas has community safety nets programmes in Albania, Egypt, Ethiopia, Moldova, Romania, Tanzania, and Ukraine. 

The United Nations describes droughts as one of the greatest threats to sustainable development. Forecasts predict that by 2050, droughts may affect more than 75 percent of the world’s population. The magnitude of this problem requires the international community’s attention every day, but today, on the world day to combat desertification and drought, we want to specifically highlight the importance of climate resilience and global action to combat drought and the correlation between drought and floods.  

Recent research by Kimutai et al. (2023) shows that the chances of drought in the horn of Africa is 100 times higher due to climate change. This is not only related to the lack of rainfall, but especially to how fast the water dampens again due to high temperatures. Though the amount of rainfall is important, the effects of global warming and high temperatures are thus even more impactful.  

Though we may all know the pictures of the dusty, dry landscapes in the horn of Africa, there is also still a lot of flooding in the region. This may lead to the misconception that these floods contradict the increase and severity of droughts that are predicated; however, this is definitely not the case. When we see floods in otherwise dry areas, it is important to be aware and spread awareness on that this excessive amount of rain does not solve the shortage of water or even out drought. When a lot of rain falls in a very short period of time after longer periods of drought, the soil is not able to fully “take it in” and this leads to a shallow absorbance of the rain. This also increases the chance of floods, since the water flows off because it is not absorbed by the soil. One of the places where this became evident, is in Borena, Ethiopia.  

Droughts and floods in Ethiopia 

Fikru Tarekegn, Country Director of Dorcas Ethiopia, describes: ‘Borena is located in the southern part of Ethiopia, which is known for pastoralism and drought. The frequency of drought has increased over the recent years due to climate change. There was no rain for the last two-and-a-half years, and this caused a huge problem in the area. As a result, more than 3.3 million livestock died. As the economy is dependent on livestock, the life and livelihood of the community were disrupted which resulted malnutrition, psychosocial problems, to deal with unpreferred coping mechanisms and migration. Unfortunately, the recent rain in the area was also a disaster as it came in big volume and became a flood. The flood has also killed the animals that survived the drought, and it brought water borne diseases.’ 

When the high intensity of rain came after two and-a-half years of drought, the landscape may have looked very healthy and green for a period of time, but this may give wrong impression. The livestock continued to die after the rainfall due to the flooding. Additionally, it was also thought that the livestock was also possibly dying because they were no longer used to the large amounts of water and grass and their intestines could not cope with this.  

Droughts and floods in Kenya 

In Kenya, desertification continues to pose a challenge over the years to 84 percent of the Kenyan landscapes that are classified as arid or semi-arid. Edwin Onyancha, Country Director of Dorcas Kenya describes: ‘These lands support 34 percent of the population and 60 percent of livestock. These drylands have seen unprecedented land degradation often exacerbated by effects of climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, overgrazing, over-use of underground water, prolonged droughts and flooding, as well as conflicts over competition for natural resources. Increasingly, livelihoods, especially those related to livestock production and agriculture, continue to be affected as these landscapes become more vulnerable to vagaries of the weather. There is an urgent need to address desertification through broad supportive policies that define management of fragile landscapes to protect biodiversity and natural resources, as well as addressing effects of climate change through both adaptation and mitigation. Regional and cross-border conservation efforts that promote restoration and regeneration of natural resources (forests, woodlands, watershed, nature-based solutions etc.) needs to be supported. These efforts should go alongside strengthening capacities of residents on land use systems, conservation, particularly using indigenous knowledge and modern technologies, as well as implementing strategies to effectively address cross-border and inter-ethnic conflicts.’ 

Climate resilience 

For Dorcas, climate resilience is central to our work and in all of our projects this is taken into account. Climate resilience is about adjusting to climate change, countering environmental degradation and minimising risk from disasters. We work with communities to prepare for and negate the effects of climate changes, thereby reducing the vulnerability of communities and their ecosystems. The cases of Ethiopia and Kenya show how important this is as climate change heavily affects rural communities. By adapting to cope with the effects of climate change, communities, enterprises and institutions can build up their climate-change resilience.  

Kimutai, J; Barnes, C; Zachariah, M; Philip, S; Kew, S; Pinto, I; Wolski, P; Koren, G; Vecchi, G; Yang, W; Li, S; Vahlberg, M; Singh, R; Heinrich, D; Pereira, CM; Arrighi, J; Thalheimer, L; Kane, C; Otto, FEL (2023). Human-induced climate change increased drought severity in Horn of Africa. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25561/103482 

The bicycle is a very useful and handy means of transportation for many people around the world. Not only is cycling good for your health, but it is also a very sustainable way of transportation that is low in costs. Because of the many benefits and the positive impact of the bicycle on the environment, we celebrate world bicycle day each year on the 3rd of June.  

Lifechanging bicycles 

Next to the flexibility and benefits to one’s health and the environment, the access to a bicycle or tricycle for some people is lifechanging. Project participants of our skills for work-project in South Sudan for example received a bicycle because many participants had to travel a long distance to the training facility. Tricycles were given to students with a disability. This was beneficial to the mobility of these students and because they were now able to access education, the bicycles and tricycles strengthened their socio-economic status. Next to that, it also increased their ability to access different livelihood opportunities and it overall significantly improved their lives.  

James Kang from South Sudan is one of the students with a disability whose life was positively impacted by the tricycle. Because of the tricycle, he was able to access his classes and complete his business administration certificate. Later, he proceeded to join the university and used the tricycle to get a diploma in Business Administration.  

Business by bike 

Students in South Sudan received a bicycle through our vocational skills and livelihood improvement-project. The distribution of bicycles to project participants in remote areas has been very instrumental in the improvement of how they conduct their businesses. By bike, students were able to transport their farm produce more easily to the markets in town. For several students with disabilities, the bicycles increased their livelihood opportunities and reduced their transportation costs, as they were no longer reliant on hired motorcycles.  

Through the Pride! project, bicycles and tricycles were also distributed to persons with disabilities in order for them to improve their mobility and access activities. Pride! ran from 2021 to 2023 and is funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium led by Dorcas with partners ZOA Dorcas*, Light for the World, and Help a Child. 

Because of all these benefits and the way bicycles considerably improved the lives of many project participants in South Sudan, we happily celebrate world bicycle day! 

*In South Sudan – as of 1 May 2022 – Dorcas and ZOA form a joint working organisation under the name ‘ZOA Dorcas South Sudan’. With this collaboration, more impact on the lives of people who are most affected by the crisis and poverty in the country is realised.

A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental right. Today, on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, we want to highlight the importance of this topic, specifically of providing good staff care that lowers work-related stress.

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work focuses on advocating towards governments and employers to provide a context in which risks in the workplace are minimised and for them and employees to take these risks seriously. Lowering work-related stress and high work pressure, are an important part of promoting health and safety. 

People who work for Dorcas can be confronted by difficult and stressful circumstances, such as conflict, instability and natural disaster. Our colleagues are very motivated and actively working to support people who face poverty, exclusion and crisis, but they also live in these challenging contexts themselves. It is therefore of great importance to consider how to support staff when they are facing stress inducing situations. This is relevant for Dorcas, but also for other organisations that supply humanitarian assistance and facilitate development cooperation.  

Annerieke Kisjes, International HR Advisor at Dorcas, describes: ‘While our colleagues are providing humanitarian assistance and psychosocial support, they also have to face these circumstances in their own lives. When the conflict in Ukraine started, colleagues from Dorcas Ukraine had to evacuate and became internally displaced persons, while they were simultaneously helping others who were fleeing the violence. We actively offered support and counselling to our colleagues, which benefited them a lot. Also, recently a mayor earthquake caused devastation in Syria. Our colleagues in Syria immediately started to supply shelter and meals to those in need. At the same time, the Dorcas office in Syria was severely damaged, their own houses were not safe to return to and for some it was unsure whether friends and family were safe.’ 

Maureen Mahfouz, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Coordinator for Dorcas Lebanon, describes: ‘It is challenging because we live in a very difficult context. We work with people who are suffering from injustice and traumatic events, which is very stressful. Activities that could help us deal with distress are not always possible because of for example the economic crisis and lack of time. However, as a team we receive training to deal with this and to build and strengthen our relationships, as we face this together.’   

As an organisation that works in difficult circumstances, Dorcas has a responsibility towards its employees to make sure that they are safe and receive the support they need. Psychosocial support is a vital part of this. We offer coaching, counselling, mentoring and training and right now, we are rolling out a worldwide staff-care project to be able to even better support Dorcas employees. The staff care that is needed in the country offices, can differ across different cultures and we are sensitive to the needs of our staff. In collaboration with the Antares Foundation and our country offices, we endeavour to address key areas for improvement and organise the necessary support, training and guidance in strengthening psychosocial resilience of Dorcas staff, volunteers and partners. In this way, we support our colleagues, and this enables them to support project participants and to continue to work on the frontline for those in need.  

Today is International Women’s Day: a day that is celebrated around the world! On this day, we specifically acknowledge and honour the achievements and strength of women from all backgrounds. This year, the UN highlights the importance of access to technology and innovation in order to attain gender equality. In an age of constant progress and innovation, technology plays a vital role in the empowerment of women and girls when it is focussed on meeting their needs. The clean cooking energy project of Dorcas aims to empower women and strengthen their position for economic participation. Waliaranga from Tanzania shares how clean cooking improved her health, increases adaptation to climate change and empowered her in her day-to-day life.

Waliaranga: ’Preparing food for my family is one of those chores on top of my priority list. I had never imagined the effects of using firewood as the only source of fuel. Our way of preparing food is not only a miserable experience, but also a damaging habit to the immediate environment and it causes land degradation. On top of that, it’s also very harmful for our health and leads to itching red eyes and constant coughing. These are just some of the prices we are paying for using firewood. We didn’t have a choice then – but now we do.’

The effects of clean cooking

Waliaranga became part of the clean cooking energy project of Dorcas. Clean cooking is the production and distribution of fuel pellets and briquettes and the inclusive market development of ultra-clean cooking stoves, which positively impacts the lives of many Tanzanians. In this project we establish a socially responsible, innovative entity geared toward social change. Clean cooking leads to increased household resilience, family health and adaptation to climate change because of reduced deforestation, gas emission, workload for women, costs for fuel and new income generating opportunities. The cycle of energy poverty will be broken by making clean cooking affordable and accessible.

Waliaranga shares: ‘Since we’ve cut down all our trees, we now had to buy firewood at 2,000 Tanzanian shilling a bunch. The clean cooking stove, the Mimi Moto stove, uses recycled wood pellets which are affordable and economically practical – I can cook more food with just one kilogram of recycled wood pellets than with a bunch of smoky firewood. And a kilogram of pellets is only 700 Tanzanian shilling.’

How Clean Cooking improves gender equality

Dorcas is committed to promoting gender equality. This has been deeply embedded in our way of working for many years. One of the ways we want to contribute to increased gender equality, is by creating equal opportunities for economic participation. The reduced workload for women, is essential in their empowerment and access to other sources of income and education. When women and girls are required to spend a lot of time gathering firewood and tending the fire while cooking, this reduces their opportunities to spend that time doing other work (and increase their income) or go to school.

Waliaranga: ’I had never imagined that I would one day just turn on the stove and make a meal in the comfort of my living room. No smoke involved and the cooking goes a lot faster. I don’t have to sit there to keep the fire burning. This gives me time to attend to other chores on my priority list. The clean cooking stove helped to turn things around in my life.’

Today is the 16th World Day of Social Justice. This year’s theme is: Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice. Strengthening socials justice is a vital part of the United Nations agenda, while simultaneously the world seems more fractured than ever due to the many crises that we have faced over the last decade. Social justice deserves more attention in the coming years to achieve more equal, thriving and inclusive societies.

Dorcas is committed to combat major inequality and promote social inclusion in the countries we work. As an organisation, we address exclusion by empowering groups that have been structurally marginalised, such as older people, people with disabilities and minority groups. These groups are our key priority, as we recognise that when socials justice for marginalised people and groups is attained, it improves the overall well-being of societies.

Dorcas invests in sustainable change on three levels: individual, community, society. On individual level, we create opportunities for people to develop themselves further, and if necessary, we provide for their basic needs. On community level, we invest in resilient, self-organising communities that work together to solve their problems. At society level, we contribute to a just society in which everyone can participate. Change on these three levels is also important in striving for social justice.

Dorcas Theory of Change showing how we envisions change to happen from a situation of poverty and exclusion to flourishing people and communities.

How we facilitate social justice in countries such as Albania, Lebanon and Ethiopia:

On an individual level, we directly empower people by:

These services empower individuals to be thriving members of society and overcome barriers that lead to exclusion.

On community level, we empower communities by:

Strengthening community leaders and capacitating them to engage in promoting human rights is essential in overcoming exclusion and promoting social justice.

On society level, we influence policies and create impact by:

To continue to improve social justice, Dorcas works towards sustainable development and has clear points of action for the coming years. We will work closely with government institutions to support them in the development of programmes that promote social equity and advocate for more funds on social cohesion. We keep raising awareness on human rights and the importance of the inclusion of marginalised groups to improve social justice. Also, we prioritise activities that strengthen capacity building of local leaders and mobilise communities. We plan to achieve this through establishing formal and informal networks of service providers and stakeholders.

Strengthening social justice in an increasingly divided world struck by multiple crises requires an approach on these three levels. It is not only the world’s economies that are increasingly linked and interdependent; structures within a society are also interconnected.

On individual, community and society level, the capacity building of marginalised people groups needs to increase. Only when everyone has a voice and is included, will we see a thriving world.

Why Dorcas considers mental well-being to be a priority

Poverty, disaster and violence impact communities and countries worldwide and have a devastating impact on millions of people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being. Yet humanitarian assistance often just focuses on providing tangible health services, food and shelter. In this article, Dorcas argues why mental health and psychological support (MHPSS) should also be an integral component of both short- and long-term humanitarian assistance.

The importance of mental well-being

Evidence has consistently shown that people with mental illness have greater physical health morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. Heleen Berends, Humanitarian Assistance Expert at Dorcas Ukraine, explains how mental health issues in a conflict situation affect people’s resilience and ability to cope. ‘For example, a few months after the war in Ukraine started, we noticed that teenagers and young adults were having such a hard time. Especially those who had fled from the contact lines. Suddenly they were without school or work, experienced uncertainty about their future and lacked a purpose in their lives. On top of that, they had experienced traumatic events, such as life-threatening bombing, having to leave home and losing loved ones. One of the awful consequences of losing hope like this is an increase in the suicide rate.’

Likewise, millions of other people around the world are confronted with a whole range of mental health issues. Without sufficient support, people can experience long-term or recurring setbacks. This can lead to more serious mental health complaints such as anxiety, depression and (post) traumatic stress that can have a negative impact on a person’s ability to work, earn an income or care for their children, for example. Therefore prevention and early treatment are much better than cure when it comes to mental health.

Dorcas’ approach

Dorcas has a long track record with MHPSS in humanitarian assistance, especially in Lebanon and Syria. Our MHPSS programmes aim to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and prevent or treat mental health complaints. We offer individual therapy, group sessions and creative approaches. Our focus is primarily on people with specific needs, such as older people, children, minority groups and people with disabilities.

MHPSS is integrated into all existing programmes of Dorcas. For example:

Removing the stigmas associated with mental health issues

An important part of our approach is removing the stigmas associated with mental health issues. We see how many individuals are hesitant to seek help as they might face stigma. This applies to both very severe traumas (for example, due to sexual violence) and minor traumas (for example, when a child has seen its parents in a panic). Social and cultural beliefs regarding mental health cause a lot of preconceptions. The long-used community-based approach of Dorcas provides a solution to this challenge. Heleen: ‘In our group sessions, the participants share experiences, connect with each other, recognise similar mental health issues, and learn that these are a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. This is how the social cohesion – including mutual trust – that has often been damaged is restored again.’

Example from Yemen

Yemen is facing the largest humanitarian crisis worldwide with ongoing armed conflict, displacement, depleted health delivery systems, a fuel and economic crisis, and a shortage of humanitarian funding. In Yemen, mental health and psychosocial support is underfunded and lacks prioritisation. The population of Yemen lives in extreme poverty and with high fragility. These years of conflict, displacement and emotional distress after traumatic experiences cause a wide range of mental health issues and chronic stress for both adults and children.

Adriaan Jagersma, interim Country Director in Yemen, explains: ‘War brings all kinds of trauma, especially in Yemen where thousands of children have starved to death and many people live in refugee camps and have experienced rocket attacks. All these things take their mental toll. At the same time, we also see a lot of resilience and a great desire to look beyond this crisis. So when we are looking for ways to support people in rebuilding their lives, one of the most important questions to ask is simply: how do you feel? How can we support you in finding hope, confidence and motivation again?’

Staff care

Humanitarian staff may experience direct or indirect exposure to trauma and therefore many stressors in their work. An increased risk for burnout and depression is seen among local and international humanitarian workers. As an employer, Dorcas ensures that all staff have access to supportive tools so that they are self-aware, find a healthy work-life balance and can process intense emotional experiences. This also applies to staff working in situations of extreme and chronic poverty.

In conclusion, mental health is a critical emergency health tool and protection intervention for everyone involved in humanitarian work and development. It is crucial to the overall well-being, functioning and resilience of individual project participants and staff, as well as communities and societies recovering from emergencies and poverty. Dorcas invests in professionals with sufficient psychological knowledge and experience. We believe this is an essential part of structural recovery after poverty, disaster and violence.

The Resilience and Contributions of Older Women

A Dorcas inquiry on the situation of older persons in Eastern Ukraine shows that a relatively large number of older people stay at home even when they live close to an area with active fighting. Sometimes this is out of choice, often it is out of necessity, being unable to flee or start a new life elsewhere.

Older people are resilient and resourceful albeit often not by their own choice. It is a sometimes brutal necessity to just survive. The recent Dorcas report on older people and conflicts and the earlier Dorcas report on COVID-19 and the rights of older people address two global challenges – conflict and COVID-19 – that force older people to be resilient. Resilient whether they like it or not.

A key call to action in both reports is to: ”Listen to the voices of all older people and acknowledge their wisdom, knowledge and experience.” Older people have the right to be seen and listened to. They have the right to participate in priority setting and decision making about topics that matter to them, including humanitarian and other assistance.

1 October is the International Day of Older Persons. The 2022 edition celebrates the resilience of older people and gives special attention to the resilience and contributions of older women who constitute the majority of older people worldwide.

Older people manage to successfully navigate today’s myriad of global challenges. These global challenges are manifest: the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing number of conflicts, climate change and major socioeconomic challenges including the current exorbitantly high fuel and energy prices.

The effects of these challenges are felt globally and continue to be significant, particularly for many older women in low-and middle-income countries, who bear the burden of cumulative disadvantage. Recognition of the vital contributions of older women and inclusion of their perspectives and needs is critical to creating policies responsive to local, national and global challenges.

Older women, in particular are the unsung heroes embodying often unseen resilience in living through and responding to climate disaster, pandemic and conflict. They do so as they experience and manage the physical and emotional disruption due to losses of family, income, and social connectedness.

The meaningful contributions and experiences of older women remain largely invisible and disregarded due to gendered disadvantages accumulated throughout the life course. The intersection between discrimination based on age and gender compounds new and existing inequalities, including negative stereotypes that combine ageism and sexism.

Dorcas calls on all governments – in particular the Dutch government – and all private sector and civil society actors, to include older women and other people who are marginalised in all policies.

“All older people have the right to be seen, to be valued for who they are, to be listened to, to participate in all decisions that matter to them, to be protected and supported.”

Nico Smith, Thematic Expert Social and economic Inclusion

In 2021, Dorcas portraits older women using their powerful personalities to advocate for change in their communities: at economic, social and political levels. These normal yet extraordinary women are portraited in word and images in Dorcas’ Portraits of Power. Be inspired by their resourcefulness, their hope and their resilience.

https://dorcas.org/olderpeople