The Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV), in collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), has launched a project entitled “Organizational Capacity Building and Empowerment of Specialists Working with Vulnerable Refugee Communities.”
This project aims to strengthen the organizational capacity and empower the specialists and staff members of ODVV to ensure the sustainability of psychosocial support services and to improve access of refugees — particularly vulnerable Afghan women, girls, and youth — to quality mental health care.
Main Objectives
- Enhancing institutional and operational capacity to sustain the provision of standard mental health services to refugees;
- Upgrading the knowledge and skills of specialists and staff in psychological, social, and managerial interventions relevant to the target community.
Under this project, in addition to upgrading the necessary hardware and software infrastructures, a series of specialized training programs are being provided to ODVV staff in areas such as
project design and proposal writing, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, documentation, archiving, and identifying international funding sources.
Background and Rationale
Since 2010, ODVV has actively participated in joint projects aimed at promoting refugees’ mental health. Based on this experience, it has become evident that updating the professional knowledge of specialists and reinforcing the organization’s internal capacity are essential to ensuring the long-term effectiveness of services delivered to refugee communities.
Expected Outcomes
Through the implementation of this project, and in cooperation with the Norwegian Refugee Council, the following outcomes are anticipated:
- Establishing and organizing a network of mental health professionals with up-to-date knowledge of refugees’ needs and cultural contexts;
- Empowering ODVV experts to develop operational, evidence-based proposals and reports for more effective interventions with vulnerable Afghan refugees;
- Structuring and documenting ODVV’s long-standing service experiences using modern, standardized tools and approaches;
- Providing the required equipment and facilities to improve service delivery to the target community.
Specific Goals
• Providing essential equipment to ensure the continuity and standardization of mental health services;
• Enhancing the professional knowledge and intervention skills of specialists in line with the needs of refugee populations;
• Building staff capacity in project design, fundraising, budgeting, financial reporting, and documentation;
• Developing necessary infrastructures to strengthen the role and participation of stakeholders;
• Conducting regular monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to design effective service delivery models for refugees.
Key Strategies
- Organizing volunteer capacities and previous experiences to design efficient and fundable project models;
- Developing digital and technical infrastructures to facilitate communication and access for refugees;
- Providing capacity-building and specialized training for professionals, staff members, volunteers, and local community liaisons.
This project represents an important step toward enhancing the sustainability of mental health services and strengthening the professional capacity of ODVV.
Through the valuable partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), it aims to expand and modernize the organization’s support for refugees and other vulnerable groups in need of psychosocial assistance.
