Giving Compass' Take:

• Peace on Purpose was initially a partnership between the UN Foundation and lululemon, but now is a collaboration with Insight Timer. Now the mediation app provides stress relief exercises for those working on the frontlines during COVID-19. 

• The Lancet Psychiatry Journal revealed that those exposed to heightened levels of stress and trauma due to COVID-19 may see long-term impacts on their mental health.  How can donors support and expand collaborative efforts that help frontline workers? 

• Research indicates that doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 patients are experiencing mental health issues. 

If we know one thing about frontline workers during the time of COVID-19, it’s that their jobs are dangerous. With danger comes stress–about their work, their health, and their future. In fact, a new study by 24 mental health experts in the Lancet Psychiatry Journal revealed that those exposed to heightened levels of stress and trauma due to COVID-19 could experience “pervasive” and “profound” impacts on their long-term mental health.

“Peace on Purpose,” a partnership between the UN Foundation and lululemon, was originally developed to provide mindfulness training for humanitarians working in some of the world’s most dangerous places. Over the next three years, Peace on Purpose aims to train 3,000 more UN development and humanitarian workers in-person, build a hub of digital resources, and develop condensed trainings to reach an additional 30,000 UN staff. Peace on Purpose has been committed to providing UN development and humanitarian workers with tools to counteract stress, strengthen leadership, and build resiliency through yoga and mindfulness training.

Now, everyone within the UN system and on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic can experience the benefits of mindfulness training: through new resources on an app.

The UN Foundation’s Peace on Purpose Initiative has partnered with Insight Timer, the #1 free meditation app and world’s largest library of guided meditations, to provide additional trauma-sensitive resources to help alleviate the stress levels of frontline workers who are battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full article about easing stress levels of those at the forefront by Grace Anderson at United Nations Foundation.