In certain conditions of extreme vulnerability, such as natural catastrophes or wars, an immediate aid intervention is clearly required, but this needs to be followed up with longer term support. This is the reasoning behind the development of the Terre des hommes psychosocial rehabilitation programmes, aimed at restoring the confidence of traumatised children, and by extension their families and communities. The objective is to move the child from a state of trauma to a state of mental well-being, including a positive perception of themselves. This requires the strengthening of their emotional security, and the availability of time and a place where they can express themselves, through games or talking, that has specialised support available.


Terre des hommes' vision
Terre des hommes takes a long term view on psychosocial rehabilitation interventions, and deploys its activities between 5 and 6 months after the traumatic event (natural catastrophe, war, extreme poverty, etc.). The affected people, children or adults, have to come to terms with the trauma. Whilst the objective is always the same, the methods used differ depending on the specific circumstances of the traumatic situation.

The programmes are of course focused on the child, but their social and family situation also needs to be monitored because of the proven logic that: the more the parents are traumatised, the more the child feels vulnerable. The community, from which our local personnel and community officers are recruited, is by extension also one of the beneficiaries of our action. Only within a deep and positively structured social network can we work on the well-being of the child and fulfil his need for emotional security.

Terre des hommes primarily offers support to the coping mechanisms (the power to “rebound”, to grieve and the necessary memory work) either individually or collectively, taking into account the various risk and protection factors, such as religion, hygiene, access to care, education, social situation, etc.


Terre des hommes' action
In concrete terms, Terre des hommes identifies the most vulnerable children and sets up supported places of expression: the recreation centres. For children from devastated communities, we offer a place for swapping stories, where the child can, individually or in a group, express his traumatism in the presence of specialist child psychologists.

In addition, as games are the natural domain of children, Terre des hommes organises sporting and play activities that allow them to re-establish the positive values of confidence, respect and solidarity. Terre des hommes also backs up the fragmented schooling system by offering stopgap courses. Finally, we carry out important social work that involves and mobilises the devastated community as a whole, so that it can slowly start to re-build it’s social life.


A scene from real life
“I arrived with my family 2 years ago, to escape the fierce fighting only 50 kilometres away from my village. My mother died 8 months ago and my father abandoned us, so I live with my grandparents. For a long time I used to watch the doors of the Terre des hommes psychosocial activity centre, not daring to go in. I was afraid of facing trouble with the other children. But the centre supervisor spotted me and started talking to me and my grandmother, who let me come to the activity centre.

First I needed to adapt and stayed in the background, not daring to talk to the others or take part in the activities. Then I started to draw, talk and join in the activities with the others. Now I’m the one who takes the lead! I’ve never had so many friends before; I think it’s nice. And now I want to learn to read, go to school, work and help others”, Amra, 9 years old, Ardamata camp, West Darfur, Sudan.