Azerbaijan: Empowering mine survivors through purposeful reintegration into the community

From survivors to awareness-raising facilitators

Over the last two years, Recognizing the need for empowering survivors, one of our landmark initiatives was encouraging survivors of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War( ERW)-related incidents to participate in the Train the Trainers ( TOT) for  Risk Awareness and Safer Behaviour (RASB) sessions. the ICRC trained 19 mine survivors, from various communities across Azerbaijan, as RASB facilitators between 2022 and 2024.

 

“The ICRC has delivered extensive training in both theoretical and practical knowledge in the RASB methodologies, along with expert mentorship in the field during the conduct of the sessions, to mine survivors who once faced significant physical and emotional challenges. This support has empowered them to play a crucial role in our efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of landmines and explosive remnants of war. Now, they are sharing life-saving information and actively working to prevent others from facing similar dangers,” shares Bishnu Mahat, Programme Coordinator for the ICRC's Weapon Contamination Unit in Baku.

From 2022 to June 2024:

"Raising awareness has become a way of life for me. Even when I see shepherds grazing cattle, I stop my car and explain to them the risks they may face," said Arif, who lost his leg in a landmine incident in Aghdam in April 2021.

 Arif is one of the RASB facilitators who now conducts risk awareness sessions at teahouses and livestock markets so that others do not face the same struggles as he did.

These sessions were conducted in high-risk areas in terms of weapon contamination, such as former line of contact( FLOC) and  districts located along the border with Armenia and settlements of internally displaced people (IDPs), where the danger of unexploded ordnances remains acute.

A sustainable transition to community ownership 

During June 2024, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the awareness-raising work at the community level, the 19 RASB-trained mine survivors were  transitioned into the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society (AzRCS) as  _RASB volunteers. By August 2024, they were fully integrated into the AzRCS’s RASB volunteer pool, participating in various local efforts to promote safer behaviour and mitigate risks in affected communities.

This transition has been instrumental in ensuring continuity of the activities, as survivors now contribute to ongoing RASB activities as part of a well-established local network. Moreover, being able to continue their work and play an active role withing their communities has provided the survivors an important opportunity to be purposefully reintegrated into society, helping them take crucial steps towards their social and emotional recovery.

The role of MHPSS in holistic recovery

From 2021 to 2024, the ICRC provided the following mental health and psychosocial support services to people affected by mine incidents:

• Assessed the MHPSS needs of 65 individuals, including mine survivors, families of survivors/victims and people who witnessed the tragic incidents.

• Held  ad hoc group psychosocial support sessions for children of mine victims to foster resilience.

• Provided direct psychological care to 44 affected people through 301 individual or family sessions.

“In the past, he struggled to talk with other kids. But now, he confidently attends events on his own, connects with people, travels independently to Baku, and is even planning to go to university.” says a mother of service user.

 

Building local capacity

To ensure a robust and far-reaching impact of our efforts on local communities affected by landmine and ERW incidents, we also focused on strengthening local mental health services. The ICRC:

“What inspires us is seeing national psychologists in districts, who support people affected by conflict, grow in their roles. Through clinical supervisions, we witness how they apply the new knowledge and skills from our trainings in their daily work with affected communities. It drives us to continually improve our support for MHPSS professionals and the services we help develop.” shares Raquel LORENTE Martinez- Mental Health and Psychosocial Delegate of ICRC Baku delegation. 

The remarkable progress of mine survivors, from being victims to becoming AzRCS volunteers raising awareness about the risks associated with mines, marks an important milestone in the long-term impact and effectiveness of our mine survivors integration programme. As the empowered survivors continue their awareness-raising and knowledge sharing efforts, they further contribute to the broader goals of the Azerbaijani government, particularly in supporting the safer resettlement of displaced people and reducing the risks posed by landmines and ERW.

The ICRC remains committed to working alongside the AzRCS to expand the reach of RASB activities and to ensure that the voices of survivors are central to shaping safer communities.