HealthNet TPO, with support from UNHCR, is implementing a four-year project (2024–2027) to strengthen access to healthcare and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for approximately 95,000 refugees, asylum seekers and returnees in Burundi.
For people who have been forced to leave their homes, arriving somewhere new can mean navigating unfamiliar systems while dealing with the physical and emotional impact of displacement. Having access to care close to where people live can make an important difference.
Access to essential healthcare
HealthNet TPO provides primary healthcare services across the refugee camps supported through the project. These include outpatient and emergency care, maternal and neonatal healthcare, vaccinations, laboratory services, HIV services and referrals for more specialised care.
In Kavumu refugee camp, Vianney experienced the importance of having care nearby when his wife developed complications during childbirth. Health workers at the camp’s health centre were able to provide the care she needed, and she delivered safely.
For John, another Congolese refugee living in Kavumu, receiving treatment when he became ill helped him regain his health and focus again on everyday life.
“When people receive treatment and start feeling better, that also makes it easier for a person to think about and prepare for the next day,” he says.
Mental health as part of healthcare
Displacement can also affect mental health and wellbeing through experiences such as loss, separation from family and social networks, and adapting to a new environment.
Mental health and psychosocial support is therefore an integral part of the project. Services include individual counselling, group support and community-based mental health care, alongside training for healthcare providers and community health workers.
HealthNet TPO is also strengthening the use of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), an evidence-based approach that can support people experiencing depression and difficulties related to loss, conflict and major life changes. By focusing on relationships and social connections, IPT can help people strengthen their support networks and reduce social isolation.
Supporting health and wellbeing
The project also includes nutritional screening and support for children under five and people living with chronic illnesses.
By bringing together primary healthcare, reproductive health, nutrition and MHPSS, HealthNet TPO aims to ensure that refugees, asylum seekers and returnees can access different forms of care and support in one integrated approach.