Goats, Sleep, and Stress Relief
I wanted to lift up the voice of my colleague, Emily Janoch, by sharing with you one of her recent blog posts. Thanks, Emily!
‘What makes me feel well in my heart? My goat. . . Every morning when I wake up the first thing that I see is my goat, tied up to the tree. Then I smile. … Someone could come and kill that goat. … But it would not matter. I could get another goat, because I bought the goat myself, with my savings. And now I have the power to solve my problems and take care of my daughter. I never have to be afraid again!’ Minani, Burundi
COVID 19 is providing a brutal reminder that stress, anxiety, and psychosocial support are huge parts of response to pandemics. Coping with the physical disease isn’t enough. We need to support the whole human, and help people manage feelings of isolation, loneliness, and anxiety. As Minani tells us, supporting the whole person may come in unexpected ways.
Minani is a powerful reminder that if you can help people find stability and emotional support, they can change the world themselves. They can unlock solutions to solve not only their own problems, but also help others too. As the world faces increasing lockdowns and difficulties travelling to help people in need, supporting women like Minani to solve problems themselves is our best alternative.
Her story is in CARE’s study To Be Well at Heart, and is one of thousands of examples around the world where CARE has helped people in the worst situations of their lives find emotional stability and peace. Take a look at some of the other ways we help people cope with stress and isolation.
What have we accomplished?
Families worry less: “I’m emotionally better now, with less time thinking about this problem”—that’s what a Syrian refugee in Lebanon says the biggest impact of CARE Lebanon’s project for Syrian Refugees. Families say some of the biggest changes are that they can “relax and don’t need to worry.” In Jordan, 90% of people report lower stress levels from being a part of CARE’s Community Development and Support project. In Mozambique, parents were 13% less likely to be stressed—and 60% less likely to be extremely stressed.
Violence is decreasing: in interviews in Lebanon, people report lower rates of violence and lower rates of child marriage than before the program started.
People feel more dignified: 100% of refugees in CARE Uganda’s Shelter program said they feel more dignified. Sometimes, what it takes to feel dignified is heartbreakingly simple. According to one health center serving refugees in Uganda, they gave a bucket to refugees “...and anybody would need that bucket in an emergency.”
Women are more confident: “We have become much stronger and more confident; we proved to our families, particularly fathers and brothers, that we can be trusted on achieving a lot.” That’s what one young woman cited as the benefits of CARE’s Jordanian Community Development and Support project. Survey results show it’s not just one young lady. 87% of people say they now have more respect for working women.
Men and women share the load: In Ugandan refugee camps, role model men are working with their wives. “…nowadays I can help my wife to fetch water, sweeping the compound, cooking, and bathing the children.”
People sleep better at night: 55% of adults and 80% of kids in the Jordan Safe Spaces project reported sleeping better at night as a major impact in their lives. 13,268 people participated in safe spaces, play groups, and stress management activities.
People feel useful: “I was just a useless donkey before, but now I am a boat. I’m useful. I can help people to cross the river,” says a volunteer in Mozambique’s Early Childhood Development project. “I am now a person---a person who listens to others.”
How do we get there?
Listen to what people need: In all of these projects, teams worked with rapid assessements and community feedback mechanisms to understand what community members needed, and design programs to meet those needs.
Focus on gender: Women bear a huge burden of caregiving, anxiety, and reduced mobility—even more so than men, so projects have to ask women especially what they need, and design programs that will get men to support women, provide ways for women to talk to each other, and provide alternatives and services for women facing violence.
Create safe spaces: In Azraq Camp in Jordan, CARE works with partners to offer a variety of activities in the camp, from day-care centers to football games to self-defense classes. Creating virtual ways for people to connect and build community safely will be critical to comply with the need for social distancing.
Spread hope: Youth in Azraq are creating a camp magazine where they tell their own stories, and have organized 3 painting exhibitions called “Hope Messages.”
Work with local partners: CARE trains local NGOs not only in the vocational skills, but also in areas like leadership, grants and finance, and stress management. We work with local volunteers to understand stress management and help support people who are under lots of anxiety.
*Name changed to protect her privacy