Israeli aid group to help North Korean refugees

An Israeli emergency aid organization is set to launch a project to help North Korean refugees who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

IsraAid, an Israel-based international relief group, on Tuesday announced that it would partner with Yonsei University in South Korea to train local aid workers in techniques for treating PTSD among those who have fled from the country’s northern neighbor.

Professor Amia Lieblich, a psychologist and writer who specializes in oral history, will work with a group of 20 PhD students from the Department of Social Welfare at Yonsei. The students will train in life-story interview techniques and the psychological aspects of oral history.

The initiative will mark the start of a yearlong training program that IsraAID will conduct in South Korea during 2013. In addition, IsraAID professionals will provide post-trauma training to local nongovernmental and nonprofit Korean aid agencies that work directly with the North Korean refugee population in the country.

Founded in 2001, IsraAID is an international relief and development aid agency that works alongside local NGOs and government officials to coordinate relief efforts and emotional support in medical emergencies. IsraAID provided trauma relief after the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan, and emergency workers in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.