About 2 million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso by growing violence between Islamic extremists and security forces trying to counter them. More than half of the displaced are children, and many are traumatized by their experiences.
FILE- Children play on a water pump in an internally displaced camp in Gaoa, Burkina Faso , April 22, 2021. More than half of the displaced by growing violence between Islamic extremists and security forces are children, and many are traumatized by their experiences. But mental health services in the West Africa n country are limited, and children are often overlooked for treatment.FILE- Children gather in a classroom at school in the village of Dori, Burkina Faso , Tuesday Oct. 20, 2020.
“People often think that the children have seen nothing, nothing has happened to them, it’s fine,” said Rudy Lukamba, the health coordinator for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Burkina Faso. Community-based mental health services by social workers are expanding, now numbering in the hundreds and supported by a small team of U.N. psychologists. In addition, traditional medicine practitioners in Burkina Faso say families are increasingly turning to them for help with traumatized children.
It was there that Safi learned how post-traumatic stress can affect children. They had nightmares and couldn’t sleep. During the day, they didn’t play with other children. Through the ICRC, Safi was connected with a health worker who helped through home visits and art, encouraging the children to draw their fears and talk about them.
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