Mental Health Belongs to Everyone: Innovation and Best Practices from Save the Children Colombia

In a country deeply affected by conflict, forced migration, and ongoing humanitarian crises, Save the Children Colombia has built a national Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) strategy that is transforming lives through innovation, community engagement, and a rights-based approach. 

A Cross-Sectoral, Comprehensive Strategy

Since 2021, more than 30,000 people have directly benefited from MHPSS services, delivered through an integrated approach that spans health, education, protection, nutrition, livelihoods, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The strategy emphasizes equity, cultural relevance, and local capacity-building, enabling communities to better access essential services and respond to psychosocial needs in a timely way. 

Innovative, Culturally Relevant Models

Some of the standout interventions include: 

• “La Transformación” workshops, which address mental health, sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR), and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention from a community perspective.
• Psychosocial programs in Wayuu Indigenous communities through the ‘Jaipa, Isabel Jusayú’ and ‘Warrerapu’ schools.
• Values clarification on abortion with key decision-makers to promote safe, stigma-free access to voluntary termination of pregnancy.

These models have improved community ownership, reduced stigma, and increased demand for mental health and GBV services. 

Scaled and Inclusive Psychosocial Care

The strategy adopts the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) pyramid model, offering: 

• Short-term individual care based on the mhGAP guide by the WHO.
• Psychological First Aid (PFA) integrated into medical brigades and community outreach.
• Group sessions focused on grief, emotional regulation, and suicide prevention.
• Effective referrals to specialized services like clinical psychology and psychiatry using an updated, localized directory.

In 2023 alone, the program delivered more than 5,000 individual sessions and 9,000 group interventions across at least eight departments in Colombia. Additionally, over 150 local professionals were trained in community mental health, PFA, and GBV case management. 

Evidence-Based Implementation

National assessments have revealed significant levels of emotional distress in children and adolescents, including suicidal ideation as early as age 8, emotional detachment, and constant exposure to violence. These findings have shaped the design and adaptation of interventions, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sustainability and Advocacy for Mental Health Rights

Save the Children Colombia has also advanced institutional coordination and advocacy, working with hospitals, ethnic authorities, and grassroots organizations to establish joint care pathways. A key focus has been advocating for mental health rights, particularly for migrant populations without access to the health system. 

A Transformational and Sustainable Impact

Through its holistic and community-based MHPSS strategy, Save the Children Colombia is making a measurable difference in emotional well-being, protection, and development for children in some of the country’s most vulnerable contexts. This approach represents a model of sustainable, high-impact innovation where mental health is a right, not a privilege.