A New Care Solution for Children Living With War

Provide effective psychological support

How do you provide effective psychological support for children in the difficult conditions of a war zone? This central challenge to our work is the subject of a major speech to be delivered by Professor Mark Jordans - War Child head of Research and Development.

The special lecture - Improving the Mental Health of Children in Conflict-Affected and Low-Resource Settings: Children’s Steps to Leaps Forward - marks the inauguration of a new War Child Holland academic chair at the University of Amsterdam. The lecture will see Professor Jordans outline a new approach designed to improve the mental health of children in situations of deprivation and armed conflict.

The platform for this new approach is a package of humanitarian interventions - backed by evidence - that can be rapidly deployed to meet the urgent needs of children and youth worldwide. Professor Jordans will outline in detail the substance of each intervention - and how they can be rapidly shared with other organisations.

A life’s work

Professor Jordans has devoted his life’s work to improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children living in adversities. He began his career as a child psychologist in Nepal before establishing mental health care services in countries around the world. Professor Jordans continues his work with War Child today.

"Children suffering from conflict-violence are a constant presence in my life," he says. "As a psychologist, I have supported such children for many years. Gradually, I have become convinced that research into new and better care is even more important in making their lives better. We need to treat the mental scars of children in war with care."

Inaugural Lecture

The lecture is open to the public and will be held on Thursday November 21 at 16:00 in the Auditorium of the University of Amsterdam.