My Mental Health, My Wealth Campaign

BACKGROUND

Mental health is slowly becoming a global pandemic. In Zambia, at least one out of a family of 5 is said to abuse alcohol and related substance, one out of 10 households are said to either have had ideation or died by suicide. In 2021, Chainama reported that 70% of depressive disorders are composed of male aged between 15 and 24 of which 80% are substance abuse cases.

 In order to address this, Hands of Mercy implemented “My Mental Health, My Priority” project which aims to raise awareness on mental health related illness and increase accessibility on Mental Health. This was implemented through free Mental Health Screening in collaboration with Ministry of Health and other collaborative partners. Hands of Mercy is located in George Compound, and provides health and relief services to the population of Lima Ward in Matero Constituency. Lima ward has an estimated population of 60,000. Our beneficiaries include young men, women, orphans &vulnerable children and the elderly.

MILESTONES

Since the inception of this project in 2021, the project has recorded milestones:

• We have screened 3,000 individuals
• 1,500 have been referred to enable them access Mental Health Services
• Stigma associated with Mental Health has significantly reduced due to tailored materials and interventions

CHALLENGES

The project has faced many challenges and these include:

• Cultural/ language barrier. This called for tailor-made screening tools during the screening process
• Limited resources.

RECOMMENDATIONS

We recommend an increase in capacity in terms of finances and resources such as tailor-made resources and skilled individuals.