Refugee Trauma Initiative (RTI) would like to work with local organisations organising responses to meet the needs of Afghan refugees, in countries preparing to receive arrivals. RTI invites relevant Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to submit expression of interest to partner with RTI who will provide seed funding and build their capacity to set up community hubs to support psychological wellbeing for children, families, youth and adults.
We invite grassroots, community-based organisations with experience of working with young children, youth and their families who are already engaging with or who are mobilising to work with Afghan arrivals. We’d like to support organisations that plan to or are already running safe spaces and activities for children, young people, and parents to help reduce stress and facilitate healing.
This call shall remain open from 17 September 2021 until the 15th October 2021, 12:00pm EET. Applications may be submitted at any time and will be evaluated in a sequential manner and decided on a rolling basis.
About RTI
Refugee Trauma Initiative (RTI), founded in 2016, is committed to supporting frontline workers bring non-clinical mental health support to every child and family affected by conflict and displacement.
The withdrawal of US and other forces from Afghanistan has led to chaos and a climate of fear across the country. It’s estimated that half a million people will flee the country by the end of the year adding to the 2.2 million Afghan people in neighbouring countries and the 3.5 million people already internally displaced.
Chronic, toxic stress and the breakdown of protective structures (support networks) make refugees, particularly children, vulnerable to the impacts of trauma, poor health, economic and life outcomes. International, state, humanitarian and local agencies are struggling to provide adequate psychosocial support to help those affected in the aftermath of their journeys from conflict, in transition or when integrating into their host countries.
RTI will support grassroots organisations working with or planning to work with Afghan refugees to set up and sustain safe, trauma informed collective healing spaces that will help people to connect in a community and to build the resilience they need to cope with the uncertainties of what lies ahead, and in so doing, prevent the transmission of trauma across generations.