IEC Materials on MHPSS Considerations in the Context of COVID-19

This set of information, education and communication (IEC) materials aims to educate different gender, age and social groups (such as internally displaced persons, host communities, persons infected with COVID-19 and their caregivers, front-line workers fighting COVID-19 and people with disabilities) on the specific nature of stressors and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) implications induced by the COVID-19 environment. These IEC materials encourage individuals with diverse social roles and functions to resort to positive coping strategies while experiencing restrictions posed by COVID-19, promotes practice of daily self-care, and simultaneously calls on to be supportive to others regardless of required physical distancing. Moreover, IECs include specific psychosocial considerations aimed at sensitization of general public with regards to stigma and discrimination towards persons infected with COVID-19, as well as front-line workers who deliver services to them and fight COVID-19 on the front lines (such as health-care personnel, law enforcement officials, counsellors and humanitarian service providers). While these IECs were produced based on key messages elaborated by the MHPSS Technical Working Group in South Sudan and designed to fit the respective context and culture of the country, they may be practical for wider use in the environment of COVID-19.