News: Launching the Trauma-Informed Approaches Toolkit for International Development Practitioners

Chemonics is thrilled to have officially launched the Trauma-Informed Approaches Toolkit for International Development Practitioners at the Trauma-Informed Approaches in Development Summit earlier today as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign for 2023. Designed to be a versatile guide applicable at any stage in the project lifecycle, the toolkit follows…

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Development

Chemonics’ trauma-informed approach emphasizes a combined conceptual approach of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s six Trauma-Informed Principles, and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Intervention Pyramid to inform the practical activity recommendations and tools for each stage. With 28 unique tools and numerous other external tools included, this toolkit…

Strengthening Humanitarian Responses: Technology, Data and Evidence-Based Approaches

Chemonics UK hosted a hybrid event on 5 December 2023 at our offices in London and online via Teams Live Events. This event convened international development and humanitarian partners, donors, practitioners, and researchers to explore current and emerging technology, data, and evidence-based approaches for informing emergency responses globally. The event explored examples of where technology,…

USAID Gender and Security Sector Reform Toolkit

This toolkit, developed by Chemonics for USAID, provides individuals assessing, designing, and managing security sector reform (SSR) programs with a roadmap for incorporating gender considerations. It includes an introduction to the relationship between SSR and gender, presentation of key gender issues within the sector, and practical how-to steps for integrating gender analysis and considerations into…

It’s Complicated: Lessons for GBV Prevention in WASH Programs

Many women and girls, persons with disabilities, and ethnic and religious minorities experience challenges in accessing safe and clean water and sanitation, sometimes placing them at greater risk of gender-based violence (GBV), which affects one in three women. According to the International Institute for Environment and Development, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practitioners and policy…

Supporting Access to Justice for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

In 2020, there were more than 122,000 reported cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in Colombia. The country has also seen a rise in femicides in recent years. Since January 2022, the USAID Inclusive Justice Activity has been trying to improve Colombian citizens’ trust in the justice system by increasing access to justice services and reducing…

Creating Stability through Education in Syria

Children, young people, and adults alike have been traumatized by more than a decade of conflict in Syria. With more than 2 million children out of school, education remains one of the country’s hardest-hit local governance sectors. Issues that affect children’s abilities to access quality education services range from a lack of infrastructure to the…

Susan Pascocello

Susan Pascocello is Chemonics’ General Counsel. An international development executive and lawyer, Susan brings more than 30 years of progressive private and public sector legal experience, including 25 years working in different aspects of international development. She served as USAID’s General Counsel (Acting) for four years during her time as Deputy General Counsel and provided integral…

Advocating for an Inclusive Justice System for All Colombians

For years, public confidence in Colombia’s justice system has been troublingly low, particularly in rural areas that lack sufficient government presence. Citizens in these areas interact with a justice system that is unresponsive to their needs and has a limited capacity to meet local requirements. Opportunities to improve citizens’ trust in the justice system are…

An Evaluation of the Injaz Psychosocial Support Program in Syria

Growing up in Islamic State-held territories, young Syrians have lived through traumatic experiences. Subsequently, many children have become desensitized to violence and developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result, conflict-affected children urgently need mental health support. Chemonics’ Injaz program is primarily an education project. It works with children in both formal and informal settings, including…

Trauma-Informed Approaches to Development Checklist

Global mental health experts recognize that traumatic stress can dramatically affect progress toward the same outcomes Chemonics projects work toward each day, including educational achievement, economic productivity, social cohesion, positive communal relations, and overall health and wellbeing. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of these sources of trauma, whether it be armed conflict, natural…