Mental Health in Gaza Under Siege
November 16, 2018 @ 12:00PM — 1:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Community Lunch Discussion with Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei
Please join RCF for a community lunch discussion to hear Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, psychiatrist and Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) speak about psychological health in Gaza in 2018. Discussion will be facilitated by Dr. John Van Eenwyk.
The lunch is from 12-1 p.m., Friday, November 16th, at The Olympia Center, Rooms 101 & 102, 222 Columbia St. NW. Guests are urged to arrive a few minutes before noon and to bring their lunches. Coffee and tea will be provided. Admission is free, but please register so we can estimate attendance. Donations are requested to support completion of GCMHP's new building that will provide expansion of the organization's vital treatment, training, and education programs.
Dr. Abu Jamei joined GCMHP as a student in the High Diploma Programme in Community Mental Health and subsequently served as a Psychiatrist-Clinical Supervisor and Director of Training and Research. In 2014, he was appointed Executive Director. His particular interests include neuropsychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and advocacy and policy change.
On July 21, 2014, during an Israeli bombing attack on Gaza, a home of Dr. Yasser's extended family was hit by a missile as family members were breaking their Ramadan fast with an iftar dinner. Twenty-eight were killed, including nineteen children and three pregnant women. "There was no place for parents and children to hide," said Dr. Abu Jamei. "You never knew where the bombs were going to fall." Dr. Abu Jamei's response was to continue his work at GCMHP. "In Gaza, you just have to start by doing something. Select anything that will do good, and that is the right thing to do."
GCMHP provides crisis intervention and rehabilitation services to families in Gaza who have been traumatized by years of military occupation, bombing campaigns, blockade, and siege. This painful history coupled with extreme, siege-induced unemployment rates makes the work of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme unique and timely in the world of global mental health. Bring your lunch and join the discussion to learn more!
The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice is proud to join our regional partners and the Gaza Mental Health Foundation in making this event and opportunity possible.
This film below about the life of GCMHP founder Dr. Eyad el Sarraj was shown at the "Mental Health and Human Rights" conference.