In response to the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) implemented a one-year project (November 2023–October 2024) with funding from the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to address critical mental health and protection needs among affected children and caregivers in Adıyaman, Hatay, and Şanlıurfa. The project is part of Phase 2 of DEC’s Türkiye- Syria Earthquake Appeal, which prioritized a recovery response in Türkiye while the earlier Phase 1 was focused on emergency response. For this project, the IRC partnered with the Maya Vakfı —recognized for its strong local networks and MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) expertise—to implement integrated child protection and MHPSS activities. The project targeted children, adolescents, and caregivers from both host and refugee communities living in container cities and informal camps in the targeted provinces. It aimed to address urgent and evolving psychosocial and protection needs following the earthquake by providing art-based structured group psychosocial support sessions (PSS), individual counseling, positive parenting sessions, and Individual Protection Assistance (IPA) and referrals to specialized MHPSS and protection services.

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