Mental Health Resources
Our work at Firetree Philanthropy focuses on supporting people, organisations and networks that are building more just, equitable and inclusive communities. Within this, we fund child protection and holistic case management support, and support for people on the move — in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. Given the nature of this work, supporting the wellbeing of the non-profit staff that our partners rely on has always mattered to us. In recent years, we have become more intentional about it. We wanted to better understand the current mental health needs and practices of workers in nonprofits and community-based organisations (CBOs) in Southeast Asia — beyond our own partners and our own experience.
Photograph by Matthew Ball on Unsplash
What we found when we started looking was both useful and sobering. We set out to look for resources and statistics on the personal mental health impacts on nonprofit and CBO workers, particularly around vicarious and secondary trauma. It was striking how little is available — most research in this area focuses on workers in emergency or crisis situations. We are not mental health or research experts, and we're sure there are resources we haven't found. But what we have found, we're happy to share and signpost to others too. If you know of something we've missed, please get in touch at resources@firetree.org.
A Note on Definitions
Mental Health: Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. Source: WHO Mental Health Key Facts
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Burnout: A syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism; and reduced professional efficacy. Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context.
Source: WHO 11th Edition of International Classification of Diseases
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Vicarious Trauma: Vicarious trauma is a process of change resulting from empathetic engagement with trauma survivors. Anyone who engages empathetically with survivors of traumatic incidents, torture, and material relating to their trauma, is potentially affected, including doctors and other health professionals. Source: British Medical Journal
Country Fact Sheets​
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We have put together a short fact sheet for each of the four countries where we primarily fund, drawing together key mental health statistics and context. [Last updated: March 22, 2026]​
All statistics are sourced from the most recent available publications from the World Health Organization and other recognised authorities. Data reflects the latest available reporting year and may therefore precede the publication date. Regional figures are based on WHO classifications, which may differ from standard geographic definitions. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy at the time of publication.
Resources
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You can download here a list of resources that were useful in our exploration of mental health support for NGO and CBO staff in Southeast Asia. We have organised them by country, followed by regional and global resources. [Last updated: April 9, 2026]
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