Project Lead(s): Luis Jorge Hernandez, James Schultz
This project aims to pilot-test the OSITA (Outreach, Screening, and Intervention for TraumA for Internally Displaced Women) project in Colombia — a country with 5.4 million internally displaced persons due to armed conflict. In the capital of Bogota, 70% of IDPs are women and children, including many indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombians, living marginally and at high risk of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Supported by mobile phone app, OSITA will train community health workers to screen for and refer severe cases of mental disorders. Goals include offering employment through OSITA-branded micro-enterprises and other opportunities.