« Strengthening Mental Health Care and Staff Support for Humanitarian Personnel » - Two-day workshop organized by Protect Humanitarians in Belgium

Brussels on 8-9 October 2024.

Credit photo : Sara De Grandis - Proctect Humanitarians

« Strengthening Mental Health Care and Staff Support for Humanitarian Personnel » - The first word that comes to our minds after the two-day workshop organized by Protect Humanitarians in Brussels is GRATEFUL 🖤💛❤️

The energy in the atmosphere, the willingness to share, and the cooperation between the humanitarian and non humanitarian actors during the last two days was incredible. Through this workshop, Protect Humanitarians is laying the foundations for joint work on the mental health of humanitarian aid workers and the importance of cultivating a culture of care. We look forward to contributing to the next steps.

A huge thank you to Olivier Vandecasteele for initiating this event with the support of King Baudoin Foundation, and a huge THANK YOU to his wonderful team for the welcome and the logistics: Laure, Sara, Eva and Sandra.

Olivier's words:

"More than 30 experts, practitioners, and academics from renowned international organizations gathered - all with one shared common goal: to improve mental health support and staff care for humanitarian workers, with a focus on local frontline staff and national humanitarian NGOs and CSOs.

Throughout the workshop, the group explored:

The current state of mental health support and staff care practices in the humanitarian sector
Best practices and standards
Opportunities for collaboration in advocacy, research, and training

This is just the beginning. Together, we can make a real difference for those on the frontlines of humanitarian work. It's time to take action."

Thanks to all the attendees for being there. There were some unforgettable encounters. CoCreate Humanity feels privileged to have had the opportunity to exchange wih all of you.