Mental health support for low income communities

Building on the momentum established earlier this year, Jaya Mental Health returned to Mustang in November and December to further strengthen local capacity in mental health care and psychosocial support across the region.

During this visit, a six-day Basic Psychosocial Support Training was delivered to a diverse group of frontline health and social care professionals. Participants included nurses from Mustang’s only general hospital, auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), health assistants (HAs), and school nurses. The training focused on practical, context-appropriate skills to identify mental health needs, offer initial psychosocial support, and make appropriate referrals, helping to embed mental health care within routine health and education services.

In parallel with the training, the Jaya team met with all staff at the local hospital, facilitating group discussions and individual interviews to better understand their professional challenges, anxieties, and aspirations for skills development. These conversations provided valuable insight into the pressures faced by remote health workers and highlighted a strong desire for ongoing learning, supervision, and mental health-specific competencies.

Community engagement was a key feature of this phase. Meetings were held with local mothers’ groups, faith healers, ayurvedic doctors, and individuals with lived experience of mental health difficulties. These dialogues helped surface local beliefs, barriers to care, and community-driven ideas for improving mental wellbeing, reinforcing the importance of culturally grounded approaches to mental health in Mustang.

To reach younger populations, mental health awareness sessions were also delivered to students at a large local school. These sessions encouraged open discussion, challenged stigma, and introduced students to the idea that mental health is an essential part of overall wellbeing, deserving of care and attention just like physical health.

Together, these activities mark an important step forward in creating a more connected, informed, and compassionate mental health ecosystem in Mustang. By working simultaneously with health professionals, community leaders, and young people, this phase of the project has laid the foundations for more accessible and sustainable mental health support in one of Nepal’s most remote regions.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support in making this work possible!