ABIDJAN
New training materials to improve skills of humanitarian workers in offering psychosocial help to war-affected people have been developed by Oxford University's Refugee Studies Centre in collaboration with other partners, the centre announced on Tuesday.
The set of training manuals, released recently by the University, is entitled The Refugee Experience. "They represent the 'state of the art' in this field currently and are directed at UN and NGO agencies working with war-affected populations around the world," said Carol Eyber of the Centre.
The psychosocial training module contains both theoretical and practical information. Released in different formats, it is available on the web, at: http://www.forcedmigration.org/rfgexp, a statement from Maryanne Loughry, psychologist and co-editor, said.
The manuals cover topics like effects of modern day conflict on civilians, cross-cultural understanding of the experiences of refugees, insight into gender issues for refugees, and the plight of refugee children. They also provide humanitarian workers with skills to help refugees overcome obstacles in community participation and communication.
"War-affected people suffer intense psychosocial pressure in their daily lives," Loughry said. "Their experiences of violence and forced displacement, as well as adjustment to life in a new environment frequently leave refugees distressed and exhausted. Humanitarian workers who seek to assist them may often feel overwhelmed and unequipped to understand the demands put to them by refugees.
"To meet this demand, the RSC, in collaboration with other partners, compiled the training materials."
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