‘If the [cash transfer] programme stops, I have no reason to live anymore. I keep a bottle of poison on the top of my closet and I think of drinking it if things get worse’
– 80-year-old cash transfer beneficiary, Jenin, West Bank, 2016.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent development-related policy interventions, this contribution asks: what does it mean to be ‘well’? Drawing on policy-making, development economics, mental health studies and feminist literature, this piece explores concepts of ‘health,’ ‘social protection,’ and ‘well-being.’ Beginning with the understanding that ‘there is no health without mental health,’ it assesses the relationship between social protection and wellbeing, COVID-19-induced stressors and coping mechanisms, as well as the problematic language of ‘crisis’ to draw attention to what may come next.