As SEED’s community coordinators and mobilizers logged on one by one to the video call and greeted each other, there was both excitement and curiosity for the first remote psychosocial support (PSS) training for staff since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This was the start of a two-day training in [...]
To promote improved services to some of the most vulnerable and violence-affected people in the world, SEED Foundation worked with a broad range of stakeholders to develop a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Standard of Care Model, tailor made for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Delivering high quality services to meet the [...]
It has been well documented that COVID-19 measures of social isolation and movement restrictions can impact and exacerbate pre-existing symptoms, especially for those with mental health needs or at risk of gender based violence (GBV). Preventative health measures limit access to in-person support and coping activities that our clients often rely on to deal with [...]
The subject of mental health, stress, and wellbeing are often regarded as taboo in Kurdish culture. With the COVID-19 restriction measures, periods of lockdown that Kurdistan has endured since March, and increased economic hardship, it has become increasingly important to take care of our mental health. In addition to adapting to remote, by phone or [...]
As COVID19 measures came into force in early March 2020, SEED Foundation staff provided much-needed gloves and masks and other supplies to police officers at Erbil’s Directorate of Human Trafficking Trafficking in Persons (TIP) police unit in Erbil, the Kurdistan Region - as the KRG’s key law enforcement unit and only designated body in Iraq [...]
Dr. Mirza Dinnayi was awarded the Aurora Prize in October for his work as a Yezidi activist and for rescuing more than 1,5000 victims of terrors and rehabilitating hundreds of women and girls used by ISIS as sex slaves. He spoke with SEED to explain why he chose us as one of the three organizations [...]
Source: Amnesty International / Date: July 2020 Amnesty International has released a report on the plight of child survivors of ISIS in Iraq, which documents the psychological, physical, and other forms of trauma that the children are suffering from even today, as well as the work of SEED Foundation and other organizations working to help [...]
Stress Workshop at University Underscores Need for Support for Youth January 13, 2020 SEED Foundation visited students at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) to discuss the importance of stress management, especially during exam periods. The two hour workshop was given by SEED’s Mental Health Technical Advisor, Anne Lepelaars, a trained psychologist from the Netherlands, [...]
Working in the Middle East, and in Iraq in particular, creates high risks of workplace hazards and stress. While these challenges are present while working in Kurdistan, having a staff well-being program can help to improve work quality, employee outlook, and overall satisfaction. It is especially important when staff are working with vulnerable populations, victims [...]
SEED Foundation has been providing comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support services since 2015 to those affected by violence and conflict. Many of our cases require more specialized mental health support, as they struggle with trauma symptoms and traumatic stress. Traumatic stress is a mental state in which a person feels extremely anxious and [...]