COMPASSIONATE RESILIENCE: A REASON FOR HOPE

December 2022

By Edna Fernandes, Director/Co-Founder

On 3 January 2023 Beyond Conflict will mark our fifth anniversary  and in 5 years we have established projects for Ukraine, Iraq and the Rohingyas. These projects are small and growing. They have helped heal minds, restore hope and save lives. None of it would be possible without our brilliant volunteer team, ambassadors and all of you, our donors.

2022 will be remembered as a year of challenge and struggle for many around the world: not just those affected by war and displacement, but people dealing with financial worries, an energy crisis and the Covid fallout.

With the Ukraine war and the resultant effects of increased energy and food prices crippling the global community, sometimes there seems little to feel hopeful about. Yet 2022 has been a time for hope. Despite problems, people have remained resilient in their compassion and desire to help others. At Beyond Conflict, we have seen this compassionate resilience in the people who helped us raise money to provide free mental health support to the Ukrainian refugees, Rohingya refugees and widows and families in southern Iraq. All three projects made progress this year. And this is a wonderful message of hope to share this Christmas.

Ukraine: in 2022 Beyond Conflict raised around £15,000 in total for Ukrainian refugees, following Russia’s brutal invasion and the war that began in February, displacing millions. That money is shared between frontline charities and the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral Welcome Centre in London, with a focus on mental health.

In the coming weeks we hope to announce a donation to an IDP (Internally Displaced Person) centre in Ukraine itself, offering psychological support. Beyond Conflict is also exploring a new music therapy project for refugee kids in the UK. More on that soon.

Rohingyas: In March 2022, BC funded a scoping mission to the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, which serves more than a million people who escaped the genocide in Myanmar in 2017. That trip, conducted by our partners GDC, gave refresher mental health training to frontline NGO workers serving refugees. It also mapped out plans for Phase 2 of our Rohingya project for more MH training and help for mothers and children in the camp. In early 2023 we will launch a fundraising drive for the next stage of this project.

Iraq: In 2022 we also received our first impact report from our partners in Najaf, Iraq on the Christmas 2021 mental health workshops that took place last year under the Canadian therapist Berak Hussein and our partner Al Kawthar. That project helped 60 widows and families in Najaf whose lives were destroyed by years of war.

All of these things were possible because of your support and help. So this Christmas and holiday season, on behalf of everyone on the Beyond Conflict Team, thank you for the last five years. Happy holidays everyone.