Members of Caritas teams of psycho-social support in Belgrade and Presevo have learned a lot about what the refugees have to go through, which also has an impact on their mental health.

 “The first aid that the refugees need is definitely humanitarian aid. That’s why it’s very important for us to be equipped with clothes, like socks, shoes, T-shirts, some elementary things when they come to us, to respond to their basic needs. Other than that we have come to understand that refugees have gone through extremely tough times, different kinds of experiences, such as political or religious suppression, war, migration and dislocation. They have suffered tortures, imprisonment, physical attacks, rape and the worst of all, loss of lives of their loved ones. Many of them have lost contact with their family members throughout their journey from their hometown towards our country. We also have had the opportunity to hear that while they were on the road, in extremely difficult conditions, they were robbed, abused and cheated on, even by members of their communities”, said Arta, the social worker from the Caritas team in Presevo.

“These problems may be the cause of the health and family problems, drug and alcohol addiction. Through consultation and information we can offer them concrete assistance for families and individuals. Also we can help the juveniles through the consultation to adapt to the social life knowing that some of them are going through serious problems”, said Mimoza Fazliu, a psychologist from the Caritas team.

The work of the psycho-social support teams in Presevo and Belgrade is funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Caritas Germany.