Mental health in emergencies feature profile: Ms Rajiah Abu Sway, Mental Health Lead, WHO in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt)

A steadfast presence in turbulent times 

For more than two decades, Ms Rajiah Abu Sway, Mental Health Lead for the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt), has worked at the intersection of health, gender, and protection. Since joining WHO in 2003, she has built trust across ministries, humanitarian actors, and communities—ensuring that mental health, protection from sexual exploitation and harassment, and gender-based violence are integrated into emergency responses. 

Her work is marked by a careful balance: responding to acute emergencies while laying the foundations for a long-term, resilient system of care. 

The urgency of that balance could not be clearer. More than 85% of Gaza’s population—around 1.9 million people—has been displaced in the past two years. Gender-based violence is rising. More than 76 000 students have been unable to sit for their secondary school exams. In the face of overlapping crises, Abu Sway remains steady. 

“The most important thing for us is to try to have long-term projects and funding,” she explains. “That’s how you build activities, systems, and sustain emergency responses. oPt is a protracted emergency. We must remain flexible to respond when needed, but always with a long-term vision.” 

Building systems amid emergencies 

Under Abu Sway’s leadership, WHO’s country office has supported the Ministries of Health and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in both Gaza and the West Bank to: 

• integrate mental health into general hospitals and primary care.
• strengthen community-based services and rehabilitation programs.
• provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) and “helping the helpers” support for humanitarian workers.
• develop national strategies on mental health, suicide prevention, and human resources.
• train education emergency teams to deliver school-based psychosocial support—a lifeline for children and adolescents living through instability. 
  

This dual focus—responding to immediate emergencies while steadily reinforcing national systems—has enabled a kind of resilience unique to oPt. 

“When I started, stigma around mental health was overwhelming,” Abu Sway recalls. “Communities were struggling, and it was important to create spaces where people could be heard. Now I see younger generations, especially young women, asking questions and actively seeking support. That openness has changed the landscape.” 

Holding space for colleagues and communities 

Beyond systems-building, Abu Sway’s passion lies in supporting those most at risk, particularly girls and women affected by gender-based violence or exploitation. She supervises a team of nine, co-chairs the MHPSS Working Group in the West Bank, and advises the Ministry of Health’s mental health thematic group.