PRCS’ Psychosocial Support Team Assists More Than 6000 Palestinians

(Al-Bireh - 22/5/2018):  PRCS’ Psychosocial Support Team offered Psychological First Aid (PFA) to more than 6000 persons in the Gaza Strip during the period from March 30, when protests known as the March of Return began, to the 15th of May.

As clashes between Palestinian protestors and Israeli occupation forces intensified on the Strip’s borders, the Team offered PFA to 2617 wounded Palestinians and medical service providers, including EMTs, doctors, nurses and volunteers, as well as to 3674 of their relatives and accompanying persons.

PFA aimed at alleviating pain and regaining the psychological balance was offered in all Gaza Strip public hospitals as well as at PRCS’ Emergency Medical Centres and its Al Amal and Al Quds hospitals. Additional support was also provided to the wounded and their families via home visits after their discharge from hospital.

The Society’s PFA Team is highly professional. Created in 2008 following the war on the Gaza Strip, it is currently manned by 250 volunteers who all hold degrees in Human Sciences and have received training to carry out psychological interventions and to offer psychosocial support during crises and emergencies.

It is the only such team allowed to work in Gaza Strip hospitals where officials, patients and their families have applauded its work and many success stories have been recorded.

PRCS is a pioneer in the field of psychosocial support and has made the provision of this support in the Gaza Strip one of its strategic priorities. It has gained great experience in this area over the past decades. In 2015 alone(after the War on Gaza), PRCS offered psychosocial support to approximately 46 000 people in Palestine, 50% of whom were women.

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