Antiguan and Barbudan to launch first international psychological first aid team to support communities displaced and devastated by climate change

Mr. Jamion Knight, an Antiguan and Barbudan psychotherapist and former United Nations official will be launching an international psychological first aid rapid response team project to support communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which have displaced and devastated by climate change and natural disasters.

This groundbreaking initiative which will be coordinated from Antigua and Barbuda under the umbrella of the Mango Bucket Project, one of the key pillars of the Mental Fitness Centre, a global initiative focused on improving the resilience of communities across the world, and which was recently launched by Mr. Knight.

“The Mango Bucket Project is based on the local saying ´one, one fills the basket.´ Against this backdrop, though each volunteer member of the response team will be a small part of efforts to build the resilience of communities after hurricanes or floods, the collective energies will ensure that the “basket becomes full” and that the combined support can have a transformative impact on communities devasted by disasters, and on the lives of climate change refugees” said the director of the Mental Fitness Centre.

He noted that “The recently concluded international meeting of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in Antigua and Barbuda highlighted the need for civil society and the international community to deepen efforts to strengthen the resilience of communities in the face of climate change and disasters. This initiative is a response to these calls and evidence of the potential role of volunteering in building community resilience,” the former United Nations official highlighted.

According to Mr. Knight, the rapid response team will place emphasis on supporting Caribbean countries during the first phase of this project. He also noted that the recruitment and training phase of the project will commence in March 2025.  

“These volunteers could offer support through a wide range of modalities, including physical deployment, online chat services, and telephone and online support.

This initiative which is the first known mental health global response team specifically focused on addressing climate change and natural disasters will seek to build partnerships with key local community groups, and UN agencies such as UNICEF, the WHO, UNDRR, and UNHCR.” Mr. Knight noted.