Overview of the EDC International Division’s Well-Being Framework

• In Event: Personal safety and well-being as a continuum of care: promising approaches from across the well-being continuum

Proposal

EDC has developed a Well-Being Framework to demonstrate how we use a variety of proven approaches to help individuals and communities develop the skills, assets, and coping abilities needed for optimal social and emotional well-being. The framework shows how our programming approaches interconnect to address a range of social, emotional, and mental health needs at the individual, family, and community levels.

We place a broad focus on resilience-building for individuals, families, communities and systems by helping beneficiaries build greater social-emotional and coping skills, social connections, and healthy, supportive equitable environments. We apply a trauma-informed approach to our programming, in recognition of the multiple and often overlapping types of trauma people face in the communities where we work, and the need to adapt programming to reflect and address those experiences of trauma.

We pay particular attention to violence prevention—including sexual and gender-based violence, school-related gender-based violence, and violence against children—as well as the realities of the many crises and conflict contexts in which we work. We implement a do-no-harm approach that tailors activities and interventions to the needs of the populations we serve, the capacity of the staff and partners we work with, and the scope and scale of our various programs.

The framework consists of a continuum of elements with one end representing the most specialized support that is usually needed for the smallest segment of the population, and the other end representing the essential, or pre-conditions needed for all individuals to be able to feel safe. The framework is based on the belief that the needs dictate the most appropriate and beneficial approach. Components are customized based on the context and population needs. Together, all the various approaches offer a guiding framework to support physical, social and emotional well-being.

Author

• Cornelia Janke, Education Development Center