MindFreedom Ghana supports mental health education

MindFreedom Ghana, a mental health non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Accra, has supported six community networks with various sums of money to intensify education and awareness on mental health.

The funds were provided by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of the United States of America.

The networks, which support one another through information sharing and other services, are made up of mental health professionals, assembly members, traditional rulers, opinion and religious leaders, social welfare officers and community members as stakeholders.

The project was to raise awareness on the plight of persons with psychosocial disabilities and their caregivers, as well as persons who have recovered from COVID-19,  and to advocate for social inclusion strategies to improve their mental well-being and quality of life.

The networks — established by the NGO under a project named “Provision of Covid-19 information and services for persons with mental health conditions and their caregivers” — are base in Barekumah in the Atwima Nwabigya North District of the Ashanti Region, Bechem in the Tano South Municipality of the Ahafo Region and Kodorogo, Zorko in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region.

The rest are Tishigu in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region, Amanfrom in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region and Nsawam in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region.

Presentation

Presenting the GH¢19,000 support to the networks, the Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, Dan Taylor, lamented the various challenges that confronted persons with mental health conditions and their caregivers in the country.

He said the lack of community support for persons with mental health conditions, stigmatisation of persons with mental disorders, poor infrastructure, accommodation issues, inability to access social support fund from the Disability Fund due to politicisation, transportation issues for persons with mental health conditions, among others, tended to worsen the situation.

Activities

Mr Taylor said the year-long project, which began in April 2022, would support the networks to raise awareness on counseling and mental health services, as well as Covid-19 vaccination services.

He said that under the project, a strategy meeting had been convened to develop advocacy plan on mental health in the context of COVID-19, while a series of workshops had been conducted on zonal basis throughout the country on advocacy around COVID-19 and mental health for civil society organisations, along with media engagements on radio and TV, dwelling on issues of COVID-19 and mental health.

Established 18 years ago, the organisation’s vision is to improve the mental health and lives of persons with mental disabilities in Ghana, and to promote their human rights and dignity.