Unsam Provides Mental Health Support to Victims of the Aceh Disaster
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The University of Samudra (Unsam), through its 2026 Emergency Response Community Service Program, is providing support based on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) to residents affected by flash floods in Aceh Tamiang.
The Head of the 2026 Unsam Emergency Response Community Service Team, Rika Afrida Yanti, stated that the MHPSS approach places mental health as a key element in the social rehabilitation process after a disaster.
“Disasters not only damage physical infrastructure but also undermine people’s sense of security, emotional stability, and self-confidence. Comprehensive recovery must address the psychological dimension simultaneously with physical recovery,” said the lecturer from the Faculty of Law at the University of Samudra, who is affectionately known as Ayick.
Involving a number of students from various years who serve as field facilitators, the program, which is funded by Unsam’s 2026 budget, targets 35 children and 20 health center (Posyandu) and PKK (Family Welfare Empowerment) cadres in Kaseh Sayang Village, Manyak Payed District, Aceh Tamiang.
Furthermore, she explained that support for children is carried out through trauma recovery methods based on group activities, such as play therapy, drawing and coloring, storytelling, and the use of child-friendly audio-visual media.
“This approach is designed to help children express their emotions constructively, reduce anxiety, and rebuild social interaction skills,” said Ayick.
As part of a child-friendly recovery strategy, the service team also provides stimulating support in the form of drawing books, crayons, UHT milk, nutritious biscuits, and the construction of a mini playground in the corner of the health center.
The activities, which took place on February 12 and 13, not only provide play facilities but also revive the role of the health center as a safe space that supports the growth and development of children after the disaster. The health center and PKK cadres are positioned as key partners in the process of knowledge transfer, capacity building, and program sustainability.
“Increasing the capacity of cadres is expected to form a community-based social support system that can respond to crisis conditions quickly, adaptively, and sustainably. With this approach, the program does not stop at short-term activities but builds a foundation of social resilience from within the community itself,” said Ayick.
Furthermore, she said that the support program shows that knowledge has ethical and social dimensions. Universities can be a center for the production of knowledge as well as a strategic actor in building community resilience in the face of disaster risks.
The service provided by the University of Samudra has received appreciation from the Head of Kaseh Sayang Village, Bustamam. According to him, the University of Samudra has rebuilt the community’s optimism after the disaster.
“The Kaseh Sayang Village Government would like to thank the lecturers and students of the University of Samudra for their concern and the programs that have been implemented in our village. The presence of Mrs. Rika Afrida Yanti and her team has become a new energy for the community, especially for children,” he said.
He also believes that the implementation of the program proves that universities are truly present and contribute to the community.