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Article by Ali Selim Kara, Communications Officer for RET

In June, RET conducted a series of capacity-strengthening training sessions for the staff of public institutions and community-based organizations across several communities in Türkiye. 

RET has been successfully implementing the “Integrated Approach to Increase Resilience in Underserved Communities” program in Samsun, Çorum, Aksaray, and Kayseri, thanks to the generous support of the U.S. Government. This initiative focuses on enhancing the resilience of vulnerable, underserved refugee communities and promoting social cohesion between refugees and host community members. Additionally, it aims to bolster protection mechanisms through capacity-strengthening trainings for service providers.

The training aimed to mainstream rights-based humanitarian assistance, address gender-based violence, promote social cohesion, and improve communication with trauma survivors. Participants included staff from public institutions such as municipalities and provincial directorates of migration management, and community-based organizations.

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A Comprehensive Training Program

The program began with an opening session led by Ms. Filiz Alsaç, the program manager, who introduced RET International and outlined its activities, objectives, and the specific aims of the current program. Following this, Ms. Emel D. Andrews, RET Türkiye’s Country Director, conducted a training session focused on preventing gender-based violence and promoting social cohesion. Her insightful presentation underscored the critical need for integrating gender sensitivity and fostering community harmony in humanitarian efforts. This issue is particularly important for public sector staff and community-based organizations, as it equips them with the knowledge and skills to better support and protect vulnerable populations.

Following Ms. Andrews, Ms. Iraz Yıldırım, the protection specialist at RET and an experienced developmental psychologist, conducted an insightful session on humanitarian standards and basic protection principles. Her training covered safe case referrals, the accountability of affected populations, and the procedures for preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and sexual harassment (PSEASH).

Photo by RET

The final session was led by trauma specialist Ms. Dilşen Özden, who focused on trauma-informed communication strategies. Her expertise provided participants with practical approaches to effectively communicate with individuals who have experienced trauma, emphasizing empathy and understanding.

One of the participants shared their feedback, stating, “This interdisciplinary training provided us with valuable information on critical and sensitive issues such as gender-based violence, social cohesion, and communication with traumatized individuals. The real-life examples used during the sessions made these topics more comprehensible and impactful.”

These training sessions have equipped the participants with enhanced skills and knowledge to better serve and protect vulnerable communities, reinforcing the overall mission of RET to build resilience and ensure social cohesion.

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