Enhancing Psychosocial Services for Traumatized Persons in Conflict-Affected Areas in Thailand's Deep South

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Protracted subnational conflict between the Thai state and Malay Muslim insurgent groups since 2004 has resulted in more than 7,000 deaths and 13,000 injuries. Over 3,000 women have been widowed and more than 9,000 children orphaned. The conflict has led to a decline in socio-economic well-being (e.g., adverse health outcomes, domestic violence, economic hardship), the erosion of trust and relationships among people, and increased fragility of institutions. Poverty in the southernmost provinces is chronic with rates among the highest in the country. Many groups in the Deep South feel a sense of social and economic exclusion, discrimination, and marginalization.World Bank research and experience on the ground reveals that many conflict-affected groups, which include ex-combatants, ex-detainees, orphans and widows, have been traumatized by violence. Only limited numbers, however, receive treatment. This gap is mainly because many of the victims of violence do not trust the government and its services. Some of the non-governmental organizations that provide support to these victims have limited working relations with the government and thus lack sustained funding. Building trust in service providers is a crucial step toward providing effective treatments for affected people. Accessto services is further hindered by security-related issues, cultural preferences of local communities, and perceptions that services are not responsive to needs. Lack of access reflects in part the very limited capacity of both government and non-governmental organizations to diagnose trauma and provide effective treatment. Key constraints to the provision of services include the lack of specific curriculums tailored for different types of trauma and impacts experienced by different target populations, the quality of trainers and training, and limited human resources, program coverage, and referral mechanisms.The objective of the proposed project is to strengthen the capacity of providers to deliver psychosocial services in the three conflict-affected provinces of the Deep South of Thailand and design modalities for integrating these services with livelihood support for the sustained socio-economic well-being of victims of trauma. These technical assistance activities (training, meetings, and workshop) will be conducted in Bangkok and in the three southernmost provinces, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Specific areas for the training and for other project activities will be discussed and selected during the implementation. The project is comprised of three components. This AIN includes Component 1 and part of Component 3 (Recipient Executed). Components 2 and the remainder of Component 3 (Bank Executed) are covered under a separate AIN.Component I (Recipient Executed Grant) will be administered by the Thai Health Academy, an organization designated by the Mental Health Department, Ministry of Public Health. This component will enhance the capacity of the network of frontline practitioners to extend coverage of psychosocial services to key traumatized groups, namely ex-combatants, children, widows, and conflict-affected communities. These frontline practitioners, an intentional combination of government and CSO employees, will continue to provide these improved services in their ongoing work. Component II (Bank Executed Grant): This component will provide technical support to explore approaches to integrating psychosocial services and livelihood support to promote economic, mental health, and psychosocial well-being. Component III: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation and International Knowledge Sharing. (Recipient Executed)