ECHOES

This was a collaborative project and I am so grateful for all of the time and effort that was given by all to get it completed.Our goal is to reach as many people as we can to raise awareness to the situation so many children are facing everyday.
War vets speak of the images, sounds and smells that continue to haunt them. Many speak of nightmares, flashbacks and periods of crippling grief. So too, millions of children are being raised in the chaos of war. Living in violent, terrorized environments and experiencing such horrors as destruction of their homes, and the death of parents, siblings, neighbors and friends.
In 1996, Graça Machel, former wife of Nelson Mandela, released a UN report entitled “The Impact of War on Children,” bringing international attention to the subject among policy makers and academics. The ten recommendations made in the report have become guiding principles to aid war-affected children. Advancements have been made by the international community to address issues of security, displacement and human rights monitoring, but less support has come to the psychosocial and educational needs of war-affected children. The relationship between exposure to war trauma and development of acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well documented. Without the support of the international community, most of these children will carry these heavy emotional burdens into adulthood. Psychological trauma is invisible. War is a reality for these children, but there are ways to help them handle the stress. It is crucial to war-affected children's emotional health that child psychology specialists are included in the humanitarian efforts to provide aid to war-torn populations. Here's one way to help...

Support the MINDS Act to Protect Children's Mental Health Globally
The Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings (MINDS) Act (H.R.3988/S.2105) is bipartisan and the first-ever piece of legislation that would promote mental health and psychosocial support as a key component of U.S. foreign assistance.
Today, the mental health of children living in conflict is more at-risk than ever. More than 14% of children worldwide are estimated to have a mental health disorder. But less than 1% of funding on global health goes to address children's mental health and well-being.
Urge Congress to pass the MINDS Act by visiting: https://www.unicefusa.org/how-help/advocate/how-we-work/child-protection-inclusion/mental-health-children-youth-globally for info on how to send a message to Congress
Much Love,
Trina