Aid group IOM plans to support community-run psychological counseling services for the population of the Bentiu Protection of Civilians site, according to a new update published by the organization about its activities in South Sudan.

IOM, the International Organization for Migration, stated in its latest humanitarian bulletin that it is “undertaking preparations to begin a psychosocial support program at the Bentiu PoC site.” Although the group did not disclose further details about the plan, it noted that it already supports a community-driven program within the Bor protection site.

“With the crisis in South Sudan well into its second year, the psychosocial impact of the conflict persists. The experiences of violence, displacement and confinement among IDPs have contributed to community wide emotional distress,” says the bulletin.

IOM's program in Bor focusing on youth and adults “is community-driven, training IDPs on psychosocial support provision and enabling them to identify and develop activities that would best meet their own community’s needs.”

The aid group together with residents of the protection site have organized seven psychosocial support mobile teams, including an educators group, a women’s group, a sports group, a cultural group, a mediation group, an interfaith group and a group of lay counsellors.

Other services run by IOM in the Bentiu protection site include camp management, extension of the site to improve living conditions, and medical treatment of malaria cases.

Photo: Women await a food distribution in the Bentiu PoC, 12 July 2014

Related: 

Concern of widespread abortion in 'protection' camps in South Sudan (1 Sept. 2014)

'Grief and anger' at Bor camp: psychosocial report (17 Apr. 2014)