Goal 3: Good Health & Well-being
Addressing trauma, stress and mental disorders for children and caregivers — bringing well-being into emergency settings.
What We Do · Mental Health & Psychosocial Support
Caring for the minds of children, families and communities across Pakistan
Since the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, KnK Japan has integrated Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) into every emergency response, school and community programme we deliver in Pakistan.
- 21
- Years of continuous MHPSS programming since 2005
- 6
- Regions covered across Pakistan
- 230k+
- Reached through KnK Pakistan programmes
- 4
- Tiers of the IASC intervention pyramid integrated
Why MHPSS matters in Pakistan
Recurring large-scale disasters
Repeated earthquakes and floods leave lasting psychological strain on children and caregivers.
Climate change accelerating risk
More frequent floods, droughts and heatwaves disrupt schooling, routines and family life.
Displacement & loss of routine
Displacement removes the everyday routines, friends and schools that protect mental health.
Limited awareness & acceptance
Mental-health services are scarce, and awareness and social acceptance remain low.
Stigma around mental health
Cultural taboos mean many children and caregivers never reach the support they need.
KnK Japan's MHPSS journey in Pakistan, since 2005
2005
KP & AJK
Kashmir earthquake — first MHPSS deployment, with Child-Friendly Spaces and caregiver groups.
2010
Punjab & Sindh
Super-floods — rapid psychosocial support with flood-affected districts.
2020
Nationwide
COVID-19 — remote support for children with disabilities.
2022
Sindh & Balochistan
Pakistan floods — psychosocial and shelter support, and counsellor training.
2025
Current
Active across regions, with a growing para-counsellor network.
A four-tier system, not a single service
KnK Japan applies the IASC intervention pyramid — from foundational basic services through to specialised clinical referral for severe cases.
1
Basic services & security
Re-establishing safety, dignity and routine — the foundation that stops distress escalating.
2
Community & family supports
Bringing back the social fabric: family tracing, women's circles and parenting groups.
3
Focused, non-specialised
Targeted activities for children with significant distress, led by trained para-counsellors.
4
Specialised services
For the small share with severe needs — clinical referral and specialist mental-health care.
Where MHPSS reaches children & communities
In schools
Child-Friendly Spaces and life-skills clubs, with teachers as the first line of support.
Child-Friendly SpacesLife-skills clubs
In communities
Adult and family support built around existing structures — caregiver circles, women's groups.
Caregiver circlesCommunity awareness
In emergencies
When disaster strikes, rapid MHPSS is deployed alongside Psychological First Aid and referral.
Mobile MHPSS teamsReferral pathways
MHPSS is connective tissue, not a silo
Mental health and psychosocial care are woven through KnK Japan's wider portfolio — education, child protection and climate/DRR programming.
Education
MHPSS skills embedded so teachers become the first line of support for children in distress.
Child Protection
Combined Child-Protection Committees and safe referral pathways for cases of abuse or neglect.
Climate & DRR
Psychosocial recovery built into climate-adaptive school design and flood-response work.
Indicative results across two decades
Indicative figures reflecting KnK Japan's Pakistan portfolio (final MHPSS-specific figures and citations to be added from the programme proposal).
Thousands
of teachers trained in psychosocial first aid (2005–2024)
Millions
of children reached through KnK Pakistan programmes
Geographic
reach — a presence across regions and MHPSS programming
2 decades+
of continuous MHPSS practice since the 2005 earthquake
Aligned with the 2030 Agenda
Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
KnK Japan's MHPSS programming in Pakistan directly advances six of the seventeen Global Goals — from health and education to gender equality and resilient institutions.
Goal 4: Quality Education
School-based MHPSS keeps children learning through crisis, reducing dropout and supporting teachers under pressure.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Targeted psychosocial support for women and girls, including survivors of gender-based violence and displacement.
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
Reaching the most marginalised: children with disabilities, internally displaced persons and minority communities.
Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Building child-protection systems and peaceful, psychologically safe communities from the ground up.
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Co-delivering programmes with government, UN agencies, bilateral donors and local NGOs across six regions.
Mental Health & Psychosocial Support
Co-design the MHPSS work that holds Pakistan together
Work with us as a partner, a volunteer or a donor. Tell us what you have in mind and we will find the right way for you to be involved.