A new psychosocial centre opens today in the eastern town of
Baalbek to provide psychosocial support to war-affected communities
from the Bekaa valley.

The centre, which is funded by the Government of Belgium, is run
in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It aims to provide members
of the community with a wide range of social activities and
qualified counselling on an individual basis.

Special attention will be paid to the needs of children, women
and the elderly, who have particularly suffered from last year's
conflict.

"Children have been particularly affected, with many suffering
from behavioural changes, such as sleep deprivation and eating
disorders," says Mazen Abou Hosn, IOM's psychosocial assistance
coordinator.

A psychosocial needs assessment conducted by IOM in the
immediate aftermath of the war confirmed the population had paid a
heavy tribute to the conflict with 20 per cent of the population in
Baalbek saying they had been exposed to direct, recurrent and
prolonged threats to their lives.

"Although the population was severely traumatised by last
summer's events, mental health and psychosocial services are
non-existent in Baalbek," says Mazen Abou Hosn. "The centre will
become a home for those who require support and assistance. This is
why we've named it Dari, our home."

The centre, located in a building rehabilitated by IOM and the
Lebanese Council for Reconstruction, houses a resident
psychologist, six trained Lebanese psychosocial counsellors, a
drama therapist and experts from IOM and the Association pour la
protection de l'enfant de guerre, a Lebanese NGO which specializes
in providing psychosocial support to war-affected
children.  

A mobile unit will also offer counselling and psychosocial
activities to schoolchildren in the area.

As part of the project, staff will attend a one-year Executive
Professional Masters programme in "Psychosocial Animation in War
Torn Societies," organized by IOM and the Lebanese University

For further information, please contact:

Randa Nassar

IOM Beirut

Tel: +961 03 27 85 44

E-mail: "mailto:rnassar@iom.int">rnassar@iom.int