World Vision Canada: our approach to mental health support

• May is Mental Health Awareness Month: A friendly reminder to be kind to your mind. If you or someone you know requires immediate mental health support, call 9-8-8 or text 9-8-8 to connect with a responder ready to listen and help with empathy. Available in English and French.

The ache of hunger. The rubble of conflict. The scars of violence. These are the physical impacts of the fragile contexts in which World Vision Canada operates.

You can see them. They’re visible, evident and nearly impossible to hide or ignore.

But what of the trauma within?

It’s the fear that lingers after the gunfire fades. It’s the heavy worry of wondering when and where your next meal will come from. It’s the quiet withdrawal of a child who has learned too early that the world is not safe.

It doesn’t go away with food. It doesn’t heal with band-aids. Which is why:

• At least 22 per cent of people living in conflict-affected areas have developed a formal mental health disorder (the global average, for reference, is around seven per cent).

• Those living below the international poverty line of $3.00 per day are three times more likely to experience poor mental health compared to those in higher income brackets.
• Children experiencing extreme hunger or food insecurity are 70 per cent more likely to require acute mental health support versus children who aren’t.

These aren’t secondary effects of a crisis. They are part of the crisis.

Providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) during a crisis is just as important as donating emergency food or giving clean water. Because without healing what’s unseen, recovery is incomplete. And the path forward becomes much harder to walk.

• Give mental health support: Provide safe spaces, support and resources to help children overcome the psychological effects of armed conflict and disasters.

Healing beyond the physical

Part of World Vision Canada’s emergency response efforts is to provide first aid. Tending to the wounded. Evacuating the injured. Healing the sick.

That’s physical first aid. There is also psychological first aid (PFA), defined as:

• A compassionate, supportive response for individuals experiencing distress. PFA is delivered by trained community members or staff and focuses on comfort, safety, and practical support in the immediate aftermath of crises.

Scars can heal and cuts can close. But not every wound bleeds. Here are three stories of people living with pain beyond what is seen on the surface.

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In Syria, children know nothing but conflict

In Syria, 14 years of conflict have left six million children in need of MHPSS.

For many children, war is not an interruption to life, but life itself. Over 7,000 schools are closed. Moments of play, learning and family life are drowned by sirens and destruction.

Imagine a childhood shaped by:

• Loss of parents, siblings and friends.

• Airstrikes, bombings and violence.

• Prolonged hunger and instability.

And just when, finally, children and families feel a sense of safety, they are once again displaced.

The cycle of trauma begins anew.

“They are fearful, withdrawn, and traumatized by the horrors they have witnessed,” says Emmanuel Isch, World Vision’s Syria Response Director. “If we fail to address their mental health and immediate basic needs now, we risk losing an entire generation to the invisible scars of war.”

In Ukraine, parents require as much support as children

Across Ukraine, parents struggle to care for their own mental well-being as they keep their children safe.

In moments of normalcy, children play and laugh as they should. But parents suffer alone in silence. There is no one to talk to. No outlet for grief.

Yet caregivers need support, too, as they manage their own fear and exhaustion as they cope with:

• Isolation from friends and family.
• Chronic stress and emotional burnout.

• Disrupted sleep and constant anxiety.

Children draw safety and stability from the adults around them.

But from whom do adults draw theirs?

“Often, you’ll try to protect your children but have no one to share your worries with,” explains Olga, mother to nine-year-old Ira. “But if you just cry all the time, you’re no good at supporting your children. I used to cry, getting lost in the city. My memory worsened.”

In Afghanistan, external pressures lead to internal stress

In Afghanistan, poverty, instability and hunger have left parents carrying their emotional burdens in silence.

The burden is relentless. The physical effort of finding work and income. The emotional weight of watching children grow hungry. The mental strain of wondering when it will end. Or if it ever will.

It never gets easier. Over time, the increasing pressure can lead to:

• Persistent stress and worry.

• Shame about being unable to provide for the family.

• Numbness and hopelessness.

Poverty can be seen. Hunger can be felt. But grief, worry and despair? They hide and gnaw from the inside.

“I had a problem with depression to the point where it made me think about committing suicide,” shares Ismail, a father of seven. “A nice word would seem bad to me, and I couldn’t interact with anyone. My depression was caused by financial problems and other circumstances.”

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These stories are different. Different countries. Different crises. Different people.

But they share one sobering truth: the emotional and psychological impacts of conflict, displacement and poverty do not disappear even if the immediate danger has passed. Even if health, safety and comfort are at hand.

This is why MHPSS is a critical part of how World Vision responds in a disaster. It helps children, parents and communities begin the healing process from the invisible wounds created by crisis.

• The lost generation: Millions of children in the Sudan crisis are having their childhoods taken away. How will the conflict impact their mental health as they grow into adulthood?

Creating spaces and pathways to heal

Healing from trauma and restoring mental health isn’t as simple as dressing a wound. It takes time and begins in small moments.

It’s why World Vision integrates MHPSS into emergency response efforts around the world. Beyond food, clean water and medical care, people and communities also require emotional support to begin rebuilding their lives.

This support comes in many forms:

• Child-friendly spaces (CFS) where children can safely learn, play and process trauma in a caring, structured environment.

• Problem management plus (PM+) programs to help adults manage stress and anxiety in conflict-affected settings.

• Group activities that rebuild routines and social connections.

• Support for parents and caregivers navigating stress, grief and exhaustion.

• Basic psychosocial support (PSS) in education to help students and educators manage emotional well-being inside the classroom.

• Faith-sensitive MHPSS that integrates religious and spiritual beliefs as an important part of healing and support.

And then, slowly but surely, the signs of healing begin to emerge.

In Syria, it happens when a child feels safe enough to laugh again. In Ukraine, it happens through therapy and classes that encourage expression and communication. In Afghanistan, it happens when someone finally has a space to speak—and someone willing to listen.

• Why men’s mental health matters: Men are taught to suppress emotional pain rather than speak about it. Discover the impact of this silent battle and how to identify and support men who are struggling.

Recovery means more than survival

There is a difference between living through a conflict or crisis and surviving it.

In fragile contexts, living through something can mean making it to the next day. Finding food. Accessing clean water. Escaping violence.

But surviving means something more. It means regaining a sense of safety and self. Rebuilding trust. Learning to sleep again.

To laugh again.

To hope again.

A person can escape a warzone and still carry fear wherever they go. A person can have a full belly and still worry about hunger. A child can return to school eager to learn but fighting anxiety and trauma.

This is why, for World Vision Canada, mental health and psychosocial support is not secondary to humanitarian aid. It is part of the response. It’s foundational to long-term recovery and resilience.

• Mental health in disasters: Earthquakes. Floods. Fires. Powerful physically, these natural disasters also impact the mental health of the children, families and communities that live through them.

Beyond what we can see. Help support mental health with World Vision Canada

The ache of hunger. The rubble of conflict. The scars of violence. These are the visible signs of trauma that can be seen. They can be measured. They can be photographed, even.

Beneath the surface are the invisible wounds. Fear. Anxiety. Depression. Loneliness.

Recovery is not just restoring what is lost externally. It’s about healing what is fractured within. And this is how you can help:

Give mental health support

• Provide the safe spaces, caring support and helpful resources needed to help children overcome psychological impacts of armed conflict and disasters.

Support women and resiliency

• Help women and girls build resiliency and confidence through training and other programs while receiving paid childcare.

With the right support, internal healing begins. And children and families and communities can move forward with renewed strength and hope.