Cuts to overseas aid don't just end programmes - they erode the wellbeing of the people behind them. As funding freezes across the US, UK, and beyond, many in the development and human rights sectors are facing a hidden toll: emotional shutdown, anxiety, and burnout. This article explores the freeze response and how organisations can support resilience in the face of deep uncertainty.
Tag: wellbeing
Prioritising wellbeing in environmental activism: Lessons from a peer supporter
Open Briefing is delighted to feature a guest post by Shreya K.C, a youth advisor with the Iris Project. We were honoured to welcome Shreya onto our recent Peer Supporter training programme, which equips participants to take on an informal role championing the wellbeing and resilience of their co-workers and fellow activists. In this post, Shreya shares how the training enhances her role as a wellbeing focal point for the Iris Prize grantees.
Building digital resilience with Civic Defenders
Open Briefing is proud to be a key partner in Civic DEFENDERS, an ambitious five-year global programme aimed at countering digital repression and fostering long-term resilience within civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders. This transformative initiative, supported by USAID and coordinated by Internews, brings together a powerful consortium of leaders in internet freedom to collaborate across global, regional, and national levels.
Job alert! Wellbeing coordinator, Civic Defenders project
Open Briefing is the wellbeing and resilience partner in a new five-year project designed to support local civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders worldwide to better prevent, mitigate, and respond to digital repression in their own contexts. We will lead the mental health and psychosocial support for these activists and movements. We are searching for a MHPSS specialist with strong project management skills to join our team as our full-time manager for this exciting project.
Healing invisible scars: Supporting the mental health of Myanmar’s exiled activists
Exile Hub and Open Briefing have launched a mentoring programme for counsellors and mental health professionals in Myanmar and Thailand. The programme responds to critical gaps in both the community-based mental health system available to activists in exile and their families, and in the training for psychologists and counsellors in both countries. Open Briefing and Exile Hub will also help establish new peer support networks for human rights defenders and journalists living in exile in Thailand.
Strengthening wellbeing support for Myanmar’s activists in exile
Open Briefing is delighted to feature this guest post from our partner the Exile Hub, a nonprofit established in the aftermath of the 2021 coup in Myanmar. Human rights defenders and journalists face numerous threats. Organisations like Open Briefing and the Exile Hub offer vital support and resources to those fighting for justice and freedom.
Decolonising wellbeing support: Insights from our 2024 peer supporters training programme
Expanding the use of peer supporters in organisations and social movements is key to enhancing individual and collective wellbeing. In order to encourage much wider uptake, we launched our first open training programme for peer supporters in February 2024. As part of this, we offered fully-funded places to individuals from grassroots organisations and movements.
A helping hand: Why your organisation or movement needs wellbeing peer supporters
The constant threat of physical, digital, or psychological harm means that poor wellbeing and resilience is a very real danger among activists and advocates. One of the best ways we can help is by expanding the use of peer supporters within our organisations and movements.