UNICEF and the Afeyan Foundation Partner to Advance Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

Innovative uSupport Platform for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Launched

UNICEF Armenia proudly marks the successful completion of a partnership with the Afeyan Foundation, whose generous support helped expand critical mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services for displaced and host community children, adolescents, caregivers and frontline professionals across Armenia.

Building on UNICEF’s humanitarian response following September 2023 when over 115,000 ethnic Armenians, including 36,000 children, had to flee their homeland seeking refuge in Armenia, the partnership focused on strengthening community resilience, promoting social cohesion, and increasing access to psychosocial support through innovative peer support networks and community-led approaches.

“The Afeyan Foundation’s support has made a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of children, adolescents and families affected by displacement. Timely and continued age-appropriate provision of mental health and psychosocial support is critical for children and adolescents to mitigate the immediate and long-term impacts of distress. It was equally important to find flexible means to do so at a time of considerable constraint on mental health professionals across Armenia,” noted Dr Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Armenia.  “Together, we have empowered young people, parents and community professionals to support one another, reduce stigma around mental health, and strengthen community connections that will endure far beyond the life of this programme.”

“We believe that supporting the mental health and well-being of children and young people is an investment in Armenia’s future,” noted Irina Seylanyan, CEO of Afeyan Initiatives for Armenia (AIFA). “We are proud to partner with UNICEF to help expand access to mental health and psychosocial support for people in need and host communities across the country. The achievements of this program demonstrate the power of community-driven solutions, peer support, and collaboration in helping young people heal, connect, and thrive.”

Empowering adolescents through peer support

Recognizing that adolescents often turn first to their peers during times of emotional distress, UNICEF established and expanded adolescent peer support volunteer (PSV) networks across Armenia. Through structured training, supervision and mentorship, young volunteers gained practical skills in psychological first aid, peer support, communication and referral pathways.

As a result, 2,017 adolescent peer support volunteers were trained and mobilized, becoming catalysts for positive change in their communities, organizing peer discussions, awareness-raising activities and psychosocial support initiatives. Through their outreach efforts, adolescent PSVs reached an additional 18,220 children and young people, helping to improve mental health literacy, encourage help-seeking behaviours and reduce stigma surrounding psychosocial wellbeing.

Strengthening support systems around children and adolescents

To create a supportive environment for children and young people, UNICEF also worked with parents, psychologists, social workers and other community professionals. These adults were trained to recognize signs of psychosocial distress, provide basic emotional support and facilitate referrals to specialized services when needed.

The programme trained 1,098 parent and social worker peer support volunteers. By strengthening local capacities and fostering stronger links between families and community services, these volunteers became key actors in supporting both displaced and host community families. Their community outreach and engagement activities reached 26,004 additional beneficiaries, helping to extend access to information, support and services in areas where mental health resources remain limited.

Fostering social cohesion and community resilience

A central objective of the programme was to bring together displaced and host community members through shared activities that promote wellbeing, inclusion and mutual support. Using innovative approaches such as visual storytelling, theatre, music-based activities, UNICEF and partners provided around 2000 children and young people with safe and inclusive spaces for dialogue, self-expression and connection.

UNICEF also launched the Armenian version of uSupport – UNICEF’s innovative digital mental health and psychosocial support platform, designed to close the global gap in adolescent access to care. The platform connects young people, parents, caregivers, and professionals with on-demand consultations (text, audio, video), youth-friendly resources, self-help tools, and referral pathways. Built as open-source, cloud-based and modular technology, uSupport ensures compliance with global privacy and safeguarding standards (GDPR+) and supports anonymity.

As the programme comes to a close, UNICEF extends its sincere gratitude to the Afeyan Foundation for its vision, leadership and commitment to the wellbeing of children and families across Armenia.

Key results at a glance

• 2,017 adolescent peer support volunteers trained and mobilized
• 1,098 parent and social worker peer support volunteers trained
• 44,224 community members reached through peer-led outreach and awareness activities
• 2000 adolescents and young reached thrօugh innovative approaches such as visual storytelling, theatre, music-based activities
• uSupport platform launched to continue providing adolescents and young people with evidence-based and expert-backed mental health support online
• Programme implemented across hosting and vulnerable communities throughout Armenia in cooperation with Parenting School NGO, Media Initiatives Center, DizakArt, Sistema Armenia Cultural Foundation, Republican Pedagogical-Psychological Center.