Historically, India has witnessed the presence of voluntary organizations, characterized by their non-profit nature and voluntary spirit in the management of disasters, and their critical role has been documented in the Bhopal gas tragedy 1984, the Orissa super cyclone, 1999, the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004, and regional disasters, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to disaster-affected communities (NDMA, National Disaster Management Guidelines: Role of NGOs in Disaster Management, 2010; Asian Development Bank, Overview of Civil Society Organizations: India, Civil Society Briefs, 2009). The pivotal role of civil society organizations, particularly non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in disaster management underscores their enduring commitment to fostering psychosocial resilience, addressing vulnerabilities, and promoting sustainable development, reflecting a collective endeavor toward the creation of a more resilient and inclusive society. In fragile environments, they are often the sole actors capable of reaching contested areas (Vaughan & Hillier, Ensuring Impact: The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Strengthening World Bank Disaster Risk Financing, Centre for Disaster Protection, 2019). Ensuring psychosocial care to the communities is a challenging task for care providers. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), an institute of national importance and a nodal agency for psychosocial support and mental health services (PSSMHS) in disaster management, has been working with multiple national and international NGOs to provide community-based psychosocial care for decades. NIMHANS’s engagement with the humanitarian sector paved the way for the integration of psychosocial care, necessitating a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to address the needs of a vast demographic impacted by the disaster. This paradigm shifts in decentralizing and integrating population-specific psychosocial interventions through leveraging community-based resources. The sustained efforts through civil society organizations’ (CSO) participation in the design, development, and implementation of psychosocial care have sown the seeds for developing culturally contextual and community-based psychosocial care approaches across disasters. The spectrum of care approach of integrating psychosocial care encompassing various areas such as legal aid, livelihood support, shelter, psychosocial care, education, medical assistance, and aid in accessing compensations, among others, has been well received by the communities (Kilby, Disasters, 32(1), 120–130, 2007; Barhate et al., Indian Journal of Human Development, 15(1), 151–164, 2021). The current chapter attempts to explore the significant contribution of humanitarian organizations, CSOs, and NGOs with NIMHANS toward the promotion of psychosocial care in disaster relief, rescue, rehabilitation, and preparedness in India over the past three decades. It also highlights the scope, function, and role assumed by various regional and international humanitarian organizations within the realm of psychosocial support and mental health services in disasters and emergencies. The chapter also emphasizes the need for the convergence of civil society organizations’ efforts to create an enabling environment for community-based psychosocial care.

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Humanitarian Organizations in Disaster Management: Exploring Role, Function, and Scope

  • C. Jayakumar,
  • Bala Shanthi Nikketha Selvaraj,
  • Allen Daniel Christopher,
  • Akhila Vijayaraj

摘要

Historically, India has witnessed the presence of voluntary organizations, characterized by their non-profit nature and voluntary spirit in the management of disasters, and their critical role has been documented in the Bhopal gas tragedy 1984, the Orissa super cyclone, 1999, the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004, and regional disasters, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to disaster-affected communities (NDMA, National Disaster Management Guidelines: Role of NGOs in Disaster Management, 2010; Asian Development Bank, Overview of Civil Society Organizations: India, Civil Society Briefs, 2009). The pivotal role of civil society organizations, particularly non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in disaster management underscores their enduring commitment to fostering psychosocial resilience, addressing vulnerabilities, and promoting sustainable development, reflecting a collective endeavor toward the creation of a more resilient and inclusive society. In fragile environments, they are often the sole actors capable of reaching contested areas (Vaughan & Hillier, Ensuring Impact: The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Strengthening World Bank Disaster Risk Financing, Centre for Disaster Protection, 2019). Ensuring psychosocial care to the communities is a challenging task for care providers. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), an institute of national importance and a nodal agency for psychosocial support and mental health services (PSSMHS) in disaster management, has been working with multiple national and international NGOs to provide community-based psychosocial care for decades. NIMHANS’s engagement with the humanitarian sector paved the way for the integration of psychosocial care, necessitating a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to address the needs of a vast demographic impacted by the disaster. This paradigm shifts in decentralizing and integrating population-specific psychosocial interventions through leveraging community-based resources. The sustained efforts through civil society organizations’ (CSO) participation in the design, development, and implementation of psychosocial care have sown the seeds for developing culturally contextual and community-based psychosocial care approaches across disasters. The spectrum of care approach of integrating psychosocial care encompassing various areas such as legal aid, livelihood support, shelter, psychosocial care, education, medical assistance, and aid in accessing compensations, among others, has been well received by the communities (Kilby, Disasters, 32(1), 120–130, 2007; Barhate et al., Indian Journal of Human Development, 15(1), 151–164, 2021). The current chapter attempts to explore the significant contribution of humanitarian organizations, CSOs, and NGOs with NIMHANS toward the promotion of psychosocial care in disaster relief, rescue, rehabilitation, and preparedness in India over the past three decades. It also highlights the scope, function, and role assumed by various regional and international humanitarian organizations within the realm of psychosocial support and mental health services in disasters and emergencies. The chapter also emphasizes the need for the convergence of civil society organizations’ efforts to create an enabling environment for community-based psychosocial care.