Building resilience to trauma through psychological support

Huge needs in violent setting

By 2025, 6.4 million Malians¹ will be in need of humanitarian aid, including 378,000 people displaced in the north and centre of the country by violence and atrocities committed by the armed groups operating in the region. The volatility of the security situation is making access to humanitarian aid difficult for these people, the majority of whom are women and girls.

Since 2012, many of the displaced people living in the Gao region of Mali have been suffering from mental health issues as a result of the traumatic events they have experienced. With the help of EU funding, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) I has been working here alongside its local partners – mainly the Malian association ATDED, but also community leaders and relays, the region's administrative authorities and partner medical NGOs – to provide mental health care to people in psychological distress.

"We provide mental health support to people in great distress. I remember one little girl who had suffered enormous trauma. She was travelling with her father and sister when armed bandits intercepted their vehicle. They brutalised the men and raped some of the women, and the little girl was a witness to the whole thing. Her sister was one of the victims, can you imagine! After that, she didn't say a word and just sat huddled in a corner. One of our partners introduced her to us and I met with her before taking her to see our psychologist. With the support of this professional, the little girl started to speak again and, little by little, began playing with the other children. This kind of result motivates us, because who knows where this little girl would be today if we hadn't intervened in time," explains Salka Walet Elmouner, in charge of mental health follow-up on the ground.

Specific support for women and girls

HI’s team of psychologists, psychosocial workers and case managers works in communities and listening centres offering mental health assistance and psychosocial support. Mobile teams conduct rapid protection assessments when alerts come in about people in need.

HI is particularly focused on assisting survivors of gender-based and sexual violence. The project has helped to set up three safe and creative spaces for women survivors and displaced children in Gao and Bourem. These spaces encourage self-expression, self-fulfilment, mutual support and solidarity; they enable women and girls to meet, support each other and discuss self-protection strategies.

Discussion groups, meetings and creative activities are also organised to inform women and girls about their rights, particularly with regard to sexual and reproductive health, and about the various support services available.

"I have been made to feel very welcome; they provide us with care and I am very grateful. This support has given me moral and psychological support, and I've also received kits containing soap, clothes and sanitary protection, among other things. If someone close to me is in a similar situation to mine, I can now share the information I've received with them," says a woman.

Strengthening humanitarian aid

To maximise humanitarian aid in the region, HI also provides logistical support to other NGOs through the shared storage and transport of supplies. This service makes it easier and faster for humanitarian actors to provide essential aid to people living in remote areas. HI works with local transporters and uses trucks or small boats when the Niger river is navigable. In 2024, HI transported more than 900 tonnes of humanitarian supplies in Mali.

“The security challenge is considerable, because it's not easy to transport equipment to all parts of the country; sometimes we have to store it in our warehouses until the situation allows us to make our deliveries in complete safety. We receive a huge number of requests from partner NGOs to send supplies, but we don't have the resources to handle them all," explains Alain Ohirwe Oluhya, Logistics Project Manager for HI in Mali.

In addition to the pooled storage and transport of articles such as medicines, agricultural machinery and medical equipment, HI works to build the capacity of the country's logisticians, for example by organising training in handling techniques to prevent accidents in the workplace. In 2024, HI trained more than 500 people from the humanitarian and private sectors.

"I decided to do this job because it's a humanitarian service that helps people who are really in need. When you manage to deliver equipment on time, it's a great source of satisfaction. Contributing to this work is a noble activity," says Seydou Diallo, a driver’s assistant for HI.

OCHA Mali humanitarian needs January 2025