The Refugee Mental Health UP Campaign is a mental health promotion initiative for refugees and migrants in Korea, run jointly by Migration to Asia Peace (MAP) and Samsung Medical Center (SMC). The campaign slogan is “Mind Care is Essential for All”, a reminder that mental wellbeing matters for every person. Connecting to the COVID-19 situation, the campaign aims to raise mental health awareness within refugee communities and help build a more preventive, supportive environment.

Health News Publications

MAP publishes mental health news through its refugee news channel, releasing one to three issues per month from April through December. The exact number of issues per month may vary depending on the depth of each topic.

Topics Covered

Seven topics are planned in total. The confirmed topics so far are:

  • COVID Blues (Depression): Guidance on understanding and coping with the feelings of low mood, anxiety, and exhaustion that come from the prolonged COVID-19 situation.
  • Suicide Prevention: How to recognize warning signs, and how to support someone around you who may be struggling.
  • The remaining five topics will be confirmed and announced one by one.

How a Health News Issue Is Made

Each issue goes through the following steps:

  1. Draft written in Korean
  2. Translated into English
  3. Content reviewed and checked
  4. Translated into Arabic and French
  5. Laid out and designed
  6. Published and sent out through the MAP refugee news channel

How to Submit Your Questions

For the COVID Blues and Suicide Prevention topics, the issues will go beyond general information and include expert answers to questions submitted in advance by refugees. About seven questions will be selected per topic, so please feel free to send in anything you have been wondering about.

Campaign Activities

1. Mental Health Information

Through the health news publications described above, the campaign will share mental health information across all seven topics from April through December. You can receive them through MAP’s refugee news channel.

2. Item Support

(1) Campaign Goods (for individuals and communities, 400 sets)

Stickers featuring the campaign slogan will be produced and included in one of three gift sets:

SetContents
Set 1Bandage case + socks
Set 2Bandage case + phone strap
Set 3Bandage case + mask strap
  • Who receives them: individual refugees and refugee communities
  • Quantity: 400 sets

(2) Health Kits for Refugee Families with Children (100 kits)

These kits are for families with children attending a daycare center, kindergarten, or primary school.

  • What is in the kit:
    • A thermometer
    • Children’s protective masks (KF80 standard or higher)
    • Hand soap designed to make handwashing fun for children
  • Quantity: 100 kits

3. Life Respect Education

This is a training program for refugees who want to learn about suicide warning signs and related information, and then share what they have learned within their own refugee community.

  • Who it is for: refugees who are interested in spreading life-respect and suicide-prevention messages within their community
  • When: during the first half of the year, before World Refugee Day on June 20

Getting Help

If you have questions about mental health or need to speak with someone, please reach out to any of the following:

  • Suicide Prevention Hotline: 109 (24 hours, Korean)
  • Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 1577-0199 (24 hours, Korean)
  • Immigration Contact Center (1345): Multilingual information service covering a wide range of questions for people staying in Korea
  • MAP: mapcast.org or contact a MAP staff member directly

Specific figures, deadlines, and quantities are subject to change. Please check with 1345 or MAP (mapcast.org) for the most up-to-date information.