Examples of Psychosocial Support

This section presents examples of projects which are responding to the psychosocial needs or orphans and other vulnerable children. Other sections look in more detail at issues of counselling, succession planning and training in psychosocial support. They are arranged by alphabetical order of name by which the project is commonly known. Another section has examples of projects working with orphans and other vulnerable children in other ways.

A variety of documents are included. They are of two main types:

Project descriptions are used to explain what the project does and to promote its work. They may be written by someone from within the project or outside. They may include some analysis.
Reports of evaluations/reviews are usually longer and more detailed documents. They are usually written by someone from outside the project and include considerable analysis, including a review of project strengths and weaknesses.

There are links to websites which give more detail of the work of particular projects or organisations.

Resources

Assessing the Psychosocial Benefits of a Community-Based Mentoring Program for Youth-Headed Households in Rwanda (Eng)

This presentation offers and overview of a Mentoring Program for Youth Headed Households in Rwanda. Having a main focus on psychosocial support.
Tonya Renee Thurman, World Vision/USAID/Horizons, 2007, PDF, 40 pages, 632 kb.

Making a Hero Book: A Guide for Facilitators (Eng)

This guide describes how to make a Hero Book which will help young people and children to htink about their psychosocial problems that overwhelm them or prevent them from reaching their goals.
Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), Jonathon Morgan, 2005, 41 pages

The journey of life. Picture codes for the community: the journey of life awareness and action workshops (Eng)

This book contains 18 picture codes used in the Journey of Life and the Action Workshops which cover areas like Community Parenting, Helping Children to Understand Death and Life Skills. They provide a useful way to allow groups of people of any educational level to share their knowledge and skills and to develop strategies to improve their lives.
Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), 2005, 30 pages, 6230 kb

The journey of life. Community workshops to support children. Manual 2: Action workshops (Eng)

This manual takes groups through 4 action workshops on community parenting, helping our children to understand death, life skills and a training of trainers for the Journey of Life series.
Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), 2005, 93 pages, 3120 kb

The journey of life: a community workshop to support children (Eng)

Designed to raise awareness of the problems and needs of children, and provides guidelines on how the community can find solutions
REPSSI, 2004, PDF, 1710kb, 49 pages

The Power Of Storytelling and Reading in Healing Children Orphaned or Traumatized by War in Northern Uganda (Eng)

This paper is going to deal with storytelling and reading needs and interests of former child soldiers and victims traumatized by the war in northern Uganda.
Lamwaka, B., 2004, PDF, 10 pages, 41 kb.

Humuliza, Tanzania: Alone and helpless? AIDS Orphans in Tanzania (Eng)

This description of the HUMULIZA project in Tanzania describes the effects that HIV/AIDS has on children but asserts that children are to be considered active and competent in planning any response to these issues.
Novartis Foundation/Terre des Hommes/HUMULIZA, PDF, 4 pages, 98 kb.

Masiye, Zimbabwe: Masiye Camp (Eng)

This is a very brief, one paragraph description of the work being doen by the Salvation Army through Masiye Camp in Zimbabwe
Salvation Army, 2003, PDF, 1 page, 56 kb.

Masiye Camp Website

This website describes the work being done by the Salvation Army in Zimbabwe at Masiye Camp
Salvation Army.

Masiye, Zimbabwe: Psychosocial Support of Children Affected by AIDS: An Evaluation and Review of Masiye Camp, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (Eng)

This is the report of an external evaluation of the work of Masiye Camp in Zimbabwe.
Foster, G. and Jiwli, L., UNICEF/SAWSO, 2001, PDF, 43 pages, 456 kb.