Helps Community Rebuilding in Quake-affected Ya'an

In partnership with Yaan Mental Health Hospital, Shanghai Xintu team had a successful training conducted on 14 Oct for 20 township mental health workers from three counties of Yaan perfecture. This participatory training course drawed attention of a number of stakeholders in the field of mental health and community rebuilding. Dr. Fei LONG facilitated the process of situation analysis, stakeholder analysis, and community solutions for mental health promotion in Quake-affected Yaan. The major conlusions of those discussions are there is lack of deidacated community organizations for mental health promotion along with government system; there is no long term comittment for the mental health promotion at community level, and lack of awareness of preventable mental illness. All the participants agreed that there is a need for a new community organization in Yaan to promotion mental health for a long term plan. Shanghai Xintu can play important role to facilitate the process of the new organization establishment.

Shanghai Xintu is planning another two training course to anaylsis mental health needs and explore community solutions with major stakeholders in Yaan. It has been scheduled on December this year and Jannuary next year. This is a first step toward establishing a community owned organization which is dedicated to mental health promotion in Yaan. On behalf of participants, we thanks for international donors for your support and hope you can continue support people in Yaan.

Dr. Fei Long made a field trip to Ya'an two month ago and built up relationship with local NGO. This is a important step to planning, implement, and evaluation of Xintu project in Ya'an. Shanghai Xintu has reached agreement with Chengdu NGO -I You She for capacity building of local NGOs on community mobilization and rebuilding. It has been agreed three core participatory course will be developed for those training. Shanghai Xintu also sumbited a number of grant application for this purpose. During this trip, Dr. Fei long met a number of local government leaders and NGO volunteers in field. It has been approved that community based long term project is needed in Ya'an which Xintu can bring knowledge and skills to local NGO for sustainable community development. Shanghai Xintu is trying to establish a new model with community facilities-organization- interests groups-volunteers for support families affected by the earthquake. It is a long term project for community development. Shanghai Xintu is waiting for the fund to conduct projects and your support is needed.