engleski

EMPOWERING REFUGEE AND DISPLACED WOMEN TO MEET THE NEW RESPONSIBILITES: 'RAINBOW SOCKS' PROGRAM

The nature of the war separated not only men from their families, but dislocated the whole families from their previous homes, communities and ways of living. Many of the families were settled in collective refugee centers. The most common populations of these centers were women and children, while the majority of men were at the front lines. This presentation addresses issues of providing specific psychosocial assistance to those women who were in many ways affected by their own experiences or the experiences of other family members (displacement and adaptation to new environment, losses, destroyed social network, new responsibilities, severely traumatized husbands, etc.). Through a culturally acceptable and non-stigmatizing knitting activity in groups, a model of psychosocial assistance was developed. The model considered the fact that women were not used to receiving professional mental health assistance, as well as that they were mostly unwilling to talk or express their feelings. This less threatening approach was a way to help them build confidence important for helper-client relationship, and was a good foundation for developing supportive groups. The program accomplished several objectives: ˇ it provided something structured and purposeful to look forward to ˇ it empowered women by reestablishing confidence and self-esteem to cope with new family responsibilities ˇ it provided supportive network in which they could share and explore issues of importance in their lives ˇ it provided new practical skills that were seen as helpful for income generating in the future.

displaced women; responsibilities; adaptation

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