News Story

The UNSW team is working with the United Nations Population Fund and the Sri Lankan government, to shape the health and psychosocial responses in the country.

“While the mental health problems of survivors has been talked about, frontline workers deserve particular attention,” said Professor Zwi. “Teachers, police officers and health workers are all dealing with people in varying stages of grief. They need to refine their skills to deal with this crisis.”

Professor Zwi said the large number of well-meaning volunteers presents another problem.

“Co-ordinating these psychosocial support teams is a major challenge for government,” he said. “The quality of the service provided is often unknown and the cultural sensitivity of staff may be seriously lacking.”

The UNSW team is running workshops for women’s groups to address the special needs of women and children in the temporary camps and as they are resettled into the community.

“The response of the Sri Lankan people and the community based agencies has been fantastic,” said Eileen Pittaway, the Director of the Centre for Refugee Research at UNSW. “The training we are providing will include measures to protect women from rape and sexual abuse.”

The Schools of Public Health and Community Medicine, Psychology and Social Work are planning a briefing for staff when the rest of the team returns from Sri Lanka. The Schools and UNSW leadership will be discussing the potential to establish capacity building partnerships with some of those in the country.

The University is considering ways in which it can, as an institution, provide practical long-term assistance to the areas most affected by tsunami tragedy.

Other initiatives being undertaken or proposed should be reported to Michael Milne in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). Michael can be contacted on: …. Or 9385 3718.