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In Memoriam Bénédicte Duchesne

Year: 2024
Type: other
Abstract: With profound sadness, we received the news of the passing of our dear colleague and friend, Bénédicte Duchesne, in her native France after courageously battling a serious illness for several months. Bénédicte was in the prime of her life, yet her contributions to the field of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) were immeasurable, spanning over 18 years across various countries. Bénédicte’s journey took her around the world, from several years in Vietnam, where she provided culturally relevant mental health support for the most vulnerable and marginalized persons, to her work in establishing and improving MHPSS programmes for Rohingya communities in Myanmar, for children affected by HIV in Congo or for survivors of gender-based violence in Central Africa. Over the past decade, she has devoted much of her time to the Middle East, collaborating with NGOs to alleviate the devastating effects of widespread violence and displacement on affected populations. In 2018, she started working with the Regional Bureau of UNHCR in Amman. As the Senior Regional MHPSS Officer, she tirelessly supported operations in the region through missions and remote guidance, contributing to numerous trainings, webinars, assessments, evaluations, and supervisions. She always made herself available to support colleagues in the field when they were dealing with emergency situations and beneficiaries in situations of acute psychological distress. One of her first work missions for UNHCR was to Iraq, where she evaluated MHPSS interventions for internally displaced persons and refugees. She trained the team of UNHCR Iraq on critical topics, including suicide prevention. Another example is Lebanon, where Bénédicte supported the UNHCR office to scale up culturally adapted MHPSS activities, fully integrating them into community structures. Thanks to her guidance, Lebanon now has a pool of refugees who are helping others manage their psychosocial needs. These are just a few examples among all the guidance and support that she provided to colleagues all over the MENA region. Many other operations have similar experiences with Bénédicte’s competence and compassion. As a cross-cultural clinical psychologist, Bénédicte possessed a unique gift for transforming complex theoretical concepts into practical, actionable steps. She effectively engaged multiple stakeholders, including refugees, in collaboratively addressing challenging mental health issues. Her efforts were instrumental in establishing MHPSS as a core component of the MENA protection and solutions strategy. She worked closely with colleagues from all other functions, bringing much-needed attention to areas that had remained largely unexplored prior to her arrival at the MENA Bureau. Her work with UNHCR was driven by her strong desire to enhance the capacities of humanitarian workers to appropriately support the mental health and well-being of refugees and other affected people and simultaneously encourage colleagues to take better care of their own well-being when confronted with difficult situations. Bénédicte’s exceptional talent was matched only by her humility. She was always the first to recognize the incredible contributions of others, making her approachable and beloved by many, both within UNHCR and beyond. Bénédicte brought not only her expertise but also a warmth that made everyone feel special and valued. She expertly equipped UNHCR teams and partners to navigate the complexities of increased psychosocial vulnerabilities in emergencies and protracted settings. Her unwavering support extended even to colleagues working in the most remote locations. Above all, Bénédicte was a kind, brilliant, and compassionate person whose presence enriched our lives in countless ways. She was also an accomplished artist, passionate about playing music, painting and reading poetry, and she practiced martial arts and fluently mastered Vietnamese. She brought much solace to her friends and colleagues thanks to her unmatched sense of humor while always finding the right words to support or inspire us. She felt at home in many places where work led her and even considered opening a bookshop annex teahouse while living in Antakya, Turkey. Benedicte inspired many of us, and she leaves friends all over the world. We are heartbroken to have lost her, but we are immensely grateful that she chose to bring her light to UNHCR and to us. Her legacy will continue to inspire and guide us as we carry forward the work she so passionately believed in. We will miss her dearly. This obituary was prepared by Peter Ventevogel, Annalaura Sacco, Elsa Bousquet, and Emilie Page, with contributions from Hivine Ali, Cécile Bizouerne, Carol El Sayed, and Johanna Lechner.
Source: Intervention
DOI: 10.4103/intv.intv_21_24
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $500
OpenAlex ID: W7093346946
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