Libya: Helping children traumatized by five years of war

Helping vulnerable children

“Since August, we have been working exclusively with children from displaced families in Tripoli, with a particular focus on children with disabilities. A mobile team, consisting of a physical therapist and two psychosocial workers, visits displaced persons’ camps and the surrounding area, since people are sometimes accommodated by host families.”

“Assisted by representatives of the displaced population, this team identifies children with specific requirements relating to their disability. The team supplies crutches, walking frames, wheelchairs, etc., along with rehabilitation care. If necessary, it refers families to the nearest health centers.”

“Our teams also raise displaced people’s awareness about disability, offering advice on improving people’s inclusion in family, group, and community life.”

Support for psychological trauma

“Another important function of these awareness-raising sessions is to inform people about psychosocial problems: after five years of war and multiple displacements to escape from fighting, many children exhibit signs of anxiety, depression or even psychological trauma. Some become totally introverted. And yet, psychological issues remain poorly understood and even taboo in Libya.”

“We put the families of children displaying these symptoms in touch with organizations offering appropriate support, such as leisure activities in playgrounds or group discussion sessions, sometimes with their parents present.”

Supporting healthcare and providing information on services

“We offer support to physical therapy departments in four hospitals and in health centers: we donate equipment such as crutches, walking frames and wheelchairs and train medical staff how to identify individuals with psychosocial problems.”

“Displaced families have very little knowledge about available medical services, opening hours, costs, etc. People are missing out on the care they need even though these services exist. For this reason we are putting together a brochure with information on health centers in Tripoli, their locations and specialties, which we will be distributing to displaced families at the end of August.”