APA Foundation awards $20K to nonprofit for Ukraine mental health aid

The American Psychiatric Association Foundation has announced a multiyear grant for $20,000 to U.S.-based nonprofit Languages of Care for its Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund.

Per an APA release, the funds will specifically support Languages of Care’s work to translate and provide mental health-related resources and supports in Ukraine. Languages of Care supports crisis survivors, relief workers and mental health practitioners by translating high-quality, clinically reviewed, culturally sensitive resources into the languages most suitable for communities in need.

“We are honored to support Languages of Care through our Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund,” APAF Executive Director Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., said in the release. “It is crucial that we provide valuable, accessible mental health resources to those who need them most in times of conflict and crisis.”

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Languages of Care has provided translated resources to refugees on the ground through evacuee transports and local organizations, and to mental health providers in many countries accepting refugees. Per the release, the grant will allow Languages of Care to support projects translating disaster mental health trainings and trauma-informed teacher and school psychologist trainings into Ukrainian, Polish and Romanian.

“One of the critical issues in providing effective help to crisis survivors and their caregivers is the need to offer language-specific materials containing specialized knowledge in disaster psychiatry best practices and trauma-informed care,” Sander Koyfman, MD, MBA, CEO and chief medical officer for Languages of Care, said in the release. “We believe that offering such language service can help instill hope, free up resources, and improve access to care during disasters.”