Healing in the Aftermath of Tragedy
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s program in Haiti is one of the world’s largest, most effective programs for psychological trauma-relief and resiliency-building. Developed in response to the 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 Haitians, our program models how to work through the traumatic aftermath of natural disaster.
Our Work
With generous support from Don deLaski and the deLaski Family Foundation, CMBM has been helping Haitians build healthy, resilient communities since 2010. Under the leadership of Country Director Linda Delmont Métayer, MA, MPH, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) has brought our life-changing model of self-care and mutual support to more than 250,000 children and adults across Haiti. Some 40,000 Haitians have participated in 10-week long Mind-Body Skills Groups.
Our groundbreaking program of self-care and mutual support has been delivered by CMBM-trained Haitians of all walks of life: clinicians, educators, community leaders, nuns, priests, Vodou priests and priestesses, farmers, truck drivers, and others. These service providers have integrated the model into 120 organizations nationwide, including schools, hospitals, clinics, orphanages, churches, Vodou peristyles, and other community organizations. Participants have included many of the most vulnerable Haitians, including orphans, widowed mothers, child slaves, survivors of gender-based violence, and incarcerated children and adults.
The beauty of this work is that it allows people to rebuild from the inside and it gives them a sense of hope. It sounds so little, but it’s everything.
Since Hurricane Matthew struck the south of Haiti in October 2016 and subsequently caused a disastrous earthquake, CMBM Haiti staff and trainees have provided emergency relief for over 8,000 children and adults, primarily in the Department of Nippes, where more than 80% of the houses had been destroyed and their inhabitants displaced.
CMBM continues to work in Haiti today amid massive gang violence that has devastated Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
After the loss of my house in Hurricane Matthew, I had lost hope in life. I thought I was going crazy. The CMBM team gave me hope. Thanks to them, I know I have a future.
Impact
- 43,000+ children and adults served
- 300 participants trained from Port-au-Prince, Delmas, Carrefour, Jacmel and the South, and the Central Plateau
- 120 organizations currently participating in our program
CMBM In Demand in Haiti
CMBM has received urgent requests from:
- The Ministry of Health, to train all physicians, nurses, and other health professionals working in regions impacted by climate-related disasters.
- The Haitian National Police and National Prison System, to train police officers, counselors, social workers, and corrections officers in the Haitian prison system.
- Bishop Pierre-Andre Dumas, head of the Diocese of Anse-À-Veau and Miragoâne and of the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education, to extend our program throughout all of Haiti.
- Haiti’s largest centers for homeless and Restavek children (enslaved children).
- Community-based programs that support survivors of gender-based violence.
Looking Forward
In consultation with the Ministry of Health, CMBM has designed a nationwide program to train several thousand clinicians and educators to provide help and healing to hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
CMBM Haiti Country Director
Linda Delmont Métayer, MA, MPH, has led CMBM Haiti since 2010. She is a clinical psychologist and professor at the Haiti State University, as well as at University of Notre Dame in Port-au-Prince. Ms. Métayer hosted a weekly radio broadcast on psychoeducation for Radio Soleil for 10 years.
Our Model in Action
Global Trauma Relief: The Healing
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Funding generously provided by:
