Mapping of mental health and psychosocial support in post conflict Libya

Abstract

The violent con£ict that erupted inLibya and toppled theGadda¢ regime in 2011hassigni¢cantly impacted social services and the health infrastructure in the country. The in£ux of international humanitarian organisationshas led tomany initiatives tostrengthen mental health care and psychosocial support services for the Libyan population. However, with a new and fragile government and many diierent international actors, in addition to emerging national initiatives, it was di⁄cult to determine who was doing what. As a result, the situation was somewhat unclear. On the requestofthe newLibyanhealthauthorities, the international NGO International Medical Corps conducted a 4Ws mapping (Who is Where, When, doingWhat)ofthe currentmentalhealthandpsychosocial support activities in Libya that focused on vulnerable areas impacted most by the con£ict.The authors, who were involved in the 4Ws mapping, describethemainresultsanddiscussthechallengesthey faced.They conclude that this was a useful exercise fororganisingand sharing information that was previously unavailable. The tool helped link diierent organisations, that previously did not know which services werebeingoiered elsewhere, and thereby contributed to a better understanding and cooperation amongactors.