In the midst of war in Europe and the Middle East, the tiny population (150,000 people) of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh to the Armenians) is almost totally forgotten. This area is the trigger for conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the most recent open hostilities officially ended in 2020 with a ceasefire guaranteed by Russia. In November 2021 freelance journalist Jessie Williams wrote an article about the psychological legacy of the war in the online journal ‘Open Democracy’. But in March this year the road corridor which is the lifeline between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia was suddenly blockaded, so that it is now effectively cut off from supplies, fuel and medicine. In addition, many children have been separated from their parents and are suffering both there, and in Armenia itself. The need for psychological as well as practical help for the people of Nagorno Karabakh gets greater every day, just as the world’s attention is elsewhere.
For ACT International and our partner the Yerevan Children’s Centre, the crisis has meant an interruption to our plans for further work together. We first went to Armenia to train psychologists and social workers in the use of CATT in 2019. However, we have now adapted our anxiety and resilience (A&R) programme to match these new circumstances. Thankfully, trainers Narine Abrahamyan and Lilit Karapetian, who are local psychologists, have continued to be active and a new training plan has been agreed. This will be delivered online and then rolled out within Nagorno Karabakh, with the help of the Armenian Association of Social Workers. So together we will bring some relief to the children of this forgotten community and their families.
We are also proud to say that in July we will run our first partially online CATT course for psychosocial counsellors working in the north of Syria. February’s earthquake has left a terrible legacy of trauma among this vulnerable refugee population. This course has been made possible through the wonderful work of our training partner the Union of Medical Relief and Care Organisations (OUSSM International), which provides humanitarian and medical assistance to all Syrian victims of war regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation. It will be run by from Jordan by our experienced CATT trainer Dr Ghalia Al Asha, with the 25 participants supported ‘on the ground’ by Mervat Ahmad.
Thanks to all our skilled and dedicated trainers for their amazing work!