In the Abaco Islands, located in the northern part of The Bahamas, communities are still coping with the consequences of 2019 Hurricane Dorian. Families are working to rebuild their lives following the devastating hurricane and the pandemic. In partnership with CWS and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Bahamas Psychological Association (BPA), is working to support and train communities in Abaco to recover from disasters and be better prepared for future emergencies.
Vernelle Swain, Island Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Officer for Abaco
Vernelle Swain is the Island Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Officer for Abaco. She explained that the first step is building trust and letting people know that there’s a team of professionals they can access. “It is crucial to help them understand what they have experienced, but the huge challenge is to break the stigma about mental health. It is not easy for people to open up and talk to someone about what’s going on in their lives, especially because we are in a small community, where everyone knows each other,” Vernelle stated.
Vernelle adds, “We are getting the word out: who we are, what our services are, and trying to identify the needs on the island.” The BPA team talks to parents, schools, churches, businesses, and organizations to raise awareness of mental health. “We will begin psycho-educational groups for adolescents in March and April, and adult groups in May.”
The hurricane response process requires patience. Kennita Saunders, the BPA’s communications coordinator, remembers that in one of the community meetings, someone told her that they didn’t understand what happened with the hurricane in Abaco. The participant said she was from the capital (Nassau) and they were not the ones directly affected. “I told them ‘yes, we weren’t affected personally, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t affected at all.’ We thought of the people that didn’t have anywhere to go. My family and I assisted with as much clothing and household items as we could to help. We were in this together.”
BPA is a non-profit community-based organization working on a national project focusing on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Expansion: Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction in The Bahamas.
Funding, provided by Church World Service (CWS) has helped to support this work. BPA is working along with CWS in their initiative ‘Ensuring Vulnerable Migrants’ Access to Mental Health Support and Other Essential Disaster Management Services project’. CWS coordinates this program in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
BPA offers disaster mental health educational resources, free individual and group sessions, as well as helplines. As part of the program, BPA staff also participated in training on topics like first aid, psychological first aid, fire safety and prevention, community mapping, and drafting emergency plans.
In Central Abaco, most of the businesses, churches, and homes were severely damaged or destroyed. As a result, some students are not able to return to school almost three years later because there are not enough teachers on the island. This is due to the lack of housing and the high rental prices.
“There’s just one major grocery store, so most of the materials the team needs cannot be found locally and have to be brought from outside. Because of the pandemic, we don’t feel too bad because most of the world was shut down and experienced a shortage of much-needed resources,” Vernelle noted.
School supplies distributed by BPA to students in Abaco schools.
The BPA staff has managed to work on the community-based engagement, and meet on Zoom. The government is making sure more children have access to devices and internet connections to study. In 2019, BPA sent a team to Abaco to distribute school supplies for students, MHPSS educational flyers, and provide MHPSS.
BPA is working with youth groups of migrant communities along with Kirk of the Pines Presbyterian Church. “We meet to talk about and share different topics. We have to be patient to build trust and break the cultural barrier. The kids come faithfully every week”, Vernelle said.
In the next weeks, the team is looking to begin two groups in Central Abaco and two more in North Abaco. “Most of the kids are active in baseball, soccer, or flag football. You can go on the field most afternoons and find them practicing. We have spoken to the principal of Patrick J. Bethel High School, and he is excited about us providing help to the students.” The staff will also provide individual and family counseling as needed along with workshops and seminars.
The CWS Hurricane Dorian Long-Term Recovery Program in the Bahamas is supported by grants from Episcopal Relief and Development, the United Church of Christ, and Canada’s Primate World Relief and Development Fund.
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Learn more about BPA here: http://bahamaspsych.org
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Instagram: @bahamaspsychassociation
Twitter: @BahamasPsych
Learn more about IOM here: https://www.iom.int/
Facebook: IOM – UN Migration
Instagram: @unmigration
Twitter: @UNmigration