On July 29, A-PAD Philippines held a partners meeting in the Central Luzon region. This meeting was part of the Japan NGO Grant Assistance Cooperation Project, with the aim of strengthening cooperation among regional and domestic partners.

A total of 22 representatives from nine organizations attended a recent meeting focused on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS). The event was designed to enhance knowledge and collaboration among partners.

During the first half of the meeting, each participating organization presented an overview of its disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives, fostering a shared understanding of their respective activities. The second half featured a dedicated learning session on MHPSS. Topics covered included Psychological First Aid (PFA), mental health risks for aid workers, secondary traumatic stress, and coping strategies for burnout. Participants also completed a burnout self-assessment and took pre- and post-tests to gauge their learning. The post-test results were highly encouraging, with over 85% of attendees achieving a score of 90% or higher, demonstrating a significant increase in knowledge.

The meeting provided a valuable opportunity for participants to strengthen their partnerships in the Central Luzon region. By leveraging this enhanced cooperative relationship, the organizations will continue their work toward building a more disaster-resilient region.