Helping the Helpers

Helping the helpers is one of NATAN’s core principles and a key activity in every operation. In many disaster zones, NATAN’s partner organizations are often comprised of young volunteers lacking previous experience in trauma or disaster relief.

NATAN’s experienced professionals are able to help these helpers by providing guidance and techniques to relieve stress and ‘battle fatigue’. Humanitarian aid workers are an overlooked population who may suffer emotional exhaustion and eventually post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Training such as that provided by NATAN’s experienced aid workers can help avert the second-hand trauma and burnout which may strike volunteers - especially those working with refugees and survivors of violence.

NATAN’s psychosocial professionals are certified Social Workers and Psychologists, trained in trauma intervention and psychological first aid. In the field, the main mission of team members is to provide aid and comfort to refugees and survivors of natural disasters. But a second, and no less important, task is to provide help to the humanitarian aid workers themselves. NATAN’s professionals provide group training to members of other organizations in Train the Trainer sessions, as well as one-to-one help to volunteers suffering stress or fatigue.

Photos by Rom Barnea: Most of the photos in this story are courtesy of Photojournalist Rom Barnea (©Rom Barnea) See more here: https://rombarnea.carbonmade.com/

Below: NATAN Social Worker, Einat Fridlender provides training to student volunteers who arrived in Przemysl, Poland as part of an independent NGO to work with Ukrainian refugees. The training session was held at a local hotel, near the refugee center.

Below: NATAN Social Worker Tamar Orbach Avni giving a lecture on psychosocial techniques to the volunteers of partner organization, Folkowisko Association. Tamar is the psychosocial team lead on NATAN’s current delegation of medical and social work professionals.

Psychosocial team lead Tammy Kantor authored and provided a folder of printed material called The Emotional Support Toolbox in a joint Initiative between İnternational Trauma İnstitute & SolyApp: Emotional Health Trainer. This material contains tools to relieve stress and is available in Ukrainian, Russian and English. In addition to being available to refugees, the materials have been used by volunteers of other organizations. Tammy also led training sessions for volunteers and helped volunteers one-to-one using her expertise in somatic therapy.

In the photos below: A refugee reads Emotional Support Toolbox material in Ukrainian. Tammy at the refugee center, providing material and consultation to volunteers on site.

In the video clip below RN Victoria Ivanoff speaks about the usefulness of the material. Victoria is a volunteer with Global Disaster Relief Team deployed at the Przemysl Refugee Center.

Below: Training sessions held with volunteers of partner organizations, Cadena and Hashomer Hatzair. HaShomer Hatzair world movement volunteers have partnered with NATAN to run the children’s activity area in the Przemysl Refugee Center. Work with refugee children is both fulfilling and emotionally exhausting.

Below: A stress relief session facilitated by NATAN social workers, Svetlana Buza and Olla Stepchenko. Svetlana and Olla presented models of self-resilience and methods to handle extreme stress. And at the end of the activity participants were coached in meditation techniques, including Heart Rhythm Meditation (HRM).

NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief - Helping the Helpers:

When the need is there, so are we.