TEWWYs Wisdom&Wellness Counselors administered WHOs Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9) to random sample size of 418 in Public Health Institutions (PHIs) before COVID halted the Mental Health Intervention Programs (MHIP) in PHIs.
From the responses collected,
252 individuals, equivalent to 60% of the sample size tested normal,
110 (26%) had mild depression,
43 (10%) had moderate depression and
Less than 1% (3 people) had severe depression.
While the PHI data collection activities and group therapy circles had to be halted due to the pandemic, it was an easy deduction that while many people tested normal, also there is a good number of those who were identified as suffering from mild depression and a few of them from moderate depression that desperately need mental health services.
Upon request from the Local Government Authorities from the municipalities where the Wisdom&Wellness Counselors provided Mental Health support servives, COVID PPEs as needed, TEWWY plans to provided the requested services in the communities and to start specifically gearing our programs towards students.
While we are waiting to hear from the authorities regarding the new procuderes as far as the Public Health Instituion MHIP project is concerned, we are working out the fine details on the new programs to be offered within the government structures and independent educational institutions.
As a mental health stakeholder in the country, Tap Elderly Women's wisdom for Youth (TEWWY) was called-to-action to provide necessary support and resources to underserved communities - in promoting their mental and physical health during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
TEWWYs Mental Health Intervention Program (MHIP) is implemented across (15) Public Health Institutions (PHIs) in the (5) municipalities of Dar-es-Salaam (Ilala, Kigamboni, Kinondoni, Ubungo, and Temeke). The MHIP has laid the foundation for integrating mental health services in Tanzania’s multisectoral systems. TEWWYs Wisdom&Wellness Counselors (WWCs) provide mental health support services and resources as we collected data integral in understanding the magnitude of the mental health challenges in the Tanzanian communities. The data and lessons learned are recorded, monitored, and evaluated for instrumental implementation in policymaking as needed for reporting to the Tanzania Ministry of Health.
TEWWYs MHIP adapts WHOs mental health Gap Action Program (mhGAP) which offers evidence-based intervention guidelines designed to promote mental health in hopes of preventing and reducing suicides. Such services include access to the following mental health intervention programs:
Wisdom&Wellness Counselor (WWC) ~ In-Person & Mobile Responder
Elderly retired women trained to provide psychosocial mental health support, sharing life-stories, experiences and counseling skills to empower communities through in-person wisdom or online support.
Wisdom &Wellness Corners ~ Beyond What Meets the Eye: Interpersonal Therapy/Counseling [IPT/C]
An identified station at a PHI (or other community locale) where a WWC can connect persons to support services & resources including one-on-one counseling.
Wisdom&Wellness Circles ~ Let’s Share & Care: Interpersonal GroupTherapy [IPT-G] with Life-Skills Building
A safe space where Sharing & Caring have been given a special platform. Persons share life-experiences while gaining life-skills: Self-care & Healthy Lifestyle, Financial Literacy, Job Search and Entrepreneurship.
As COVID-19 took wave across the globe, anxiety levels rose due to uncertainty over contracting the COVID-19 virus and financial management in times when most activities leading to gainful income or activities that bring one joy are a high health risk with possible fatalities. During these unforeseen times, mental health support needs are at an all-time unprecedented high, and most traditional methods of providing such services that have been employed by TEWWY and its Wisdom&Wellness Counselors had to be halted, for the safety of the Wisdom&Wellness Counselors and the communities they serve, playiong our role in flattening the curve.
But there is more than one way to serve the community we love. Following direction from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and listening to peoples cries and concerns, Tap Elderly Women Wisdom for Youth adapted its services in a safe way to continue protecting our community and bring its members together.
1,750 masks and 1,500 liters of soaps were handmade in the safe confines of the Wisdom&Wellness Counselors' homes and makeshift shops. These COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE), the masks and the soap, all had special mental health messages printed onto them. Gently reminding the community that we care about them, and all around, we all care for each other, the words "Ninajilinda" and "Ninakulinda" meaning "I am protecting myself" and "I am protecting you" message read on the equipment.
The 1,500L of soap produced a total of 6000 bottles of 250mL volume. 6,000 recipients in the base of the pyramid were naturally the target population. For those already living on an income insufficient to support themselves and/or their families, affording the basic necessities like soap and mask to prevent oneself from contracting the virus is sometimes not possible. In times when financial situations are uncertain across the world, for some, having access to soap and clean water could mean the difference between life and death.
6000 liters of soap were hand-produced and distributed by the TEWWY team to Tanzanians residing across Dar-es-Salaam. Keeping an eye on the current situation, TEWWY continues to assess the risk and plan to respond accordingly. As the soaps made a very huge impact in our societies, TEWWY intends to continue providing this life-threatening disease-preventing PPE. With 8,500 more bottles already purchased, we are on a mission to gather support from everybody who has been affected by the pandemic, to join forces with us in helping save lives in our communities.
TAP ELDERLY WOMEN’S WISDOM FOR YOUTH
Sakura Street, Sinza Makaburini
P. O. Box 32705
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
[Text]: +255 757 327 878 | [Call]: +255 737 773 982
tewwy@tewwy.org | www.tewwy.org
[01/20 - 01/24, 2020]: Wisdom & Wellness Partner [WWP] Report
Wisdom & Wellness Leaders [WWLs]
Rustica Tembele - Founder & CEO | Neema Tembele - Founder & COO | Almasi Saidi - CFO
Wisdom & Wellness Officers [WWOs]
Gibson Mulokozi - Monitoring & Evaluation Officer | Gaspar Kanijo - Programs Officer
Wisdom & Wellness Counselors [WWCs]
TEWWY’S WWCs provide one-on-one wisdom and wellness counseling support as needed and collect data for the identification of potential Wisdom and Wellness support and resources beneficiaries at the allocated public health institutions. Voluntary enrollment and participation affords an individual a plethora of mental health support services and resources, such as Mental Health Wisdom & Wellness SMS Promotion Campaign and Wisdom & Wellness Circles.
Objective:
Each WWC to administer at least 25 patient questionnaires per facility.
Outcome: [8] Dispensary [4] Health Center [3] Hospital
Tools & Resources
Hardware: Tablet
Software: SurveyMonkey
Consent Forms
Wisdom & Wellness Circles:
Subscribe: 195 Unsubscribe: 26 Skipped: 86
Wisdom & Wellness Mental Health SMS Promotion Campaign
Subscribe: 194 Unsubscribe: 20 Declined: 63
Thematic Analytics
Self-efficacy:
Self-esteem:
Sense of belonging:
Feedback from the Field:
Wisdom & Wellness Counselors [WWCs] - [# of Clients]
Wisdom & Wellness Circles [WWCrs] - Each Facilitated by the (3) WWCs of the Municipality
Municiality: Location Theme # of Attendees
Temeke Mbagala Zakhem Dispensary Self-Awareness 3
Kinondoni Mwananyamala Hospital Women-Related Issues 3
Ilala Rugambwa Hospital Dysfunctional Family 4
Kigamboni Chekeni Mwasonga Awareness & Family Conflict 3
Ubungo Mbezi Dispensary Mental Health Awareness 4
Emerging stories
“I met a depressed 21 year old boy whose studies were cut short in 2014 due to family conflicts. Aside from suffering from a sexually transmitted disease (STD), he couldn’t afford the medication for treatment. I was so moved by this and as a human being I had to give him money to contribute to at least half of his prescribed medication. I am determined to support this young man by making follow-up visits to ensure that his health stabilizes while at the same time I will be counselling him. I could tell that he needed somebody to confide to and I would like to be the shoulder for this young man to lean on. ” Alfreda George, WWC.
In another health facility, Margaret Kayombo had this to say:
“I was very honored to meet a woman, a retired nurse, who was filled with a great appreciation of the work that TEWWY is doing. She said the services we are offering at the health facilities are extremely useful and overdue for the Tanzanian community. She applauded us and encouraged us to continue without despairing as this is such a noble cause”.
Emma Mwakasungula is yet another WWC who narrated the following:
“I met a 35 year old divorce man aged 35 years who wanted to discuss with us about life. He said he is divorced, has no job and he was HIV positive. He wanted to be helped, he wanted a shoulder to lean on. I assured him of my readiness to help.”
Key findings
Lesson Learned and Our Proposed Way Forward
Key issue from the wellness Circles
Lessons Learnt and proposed way forward
TEWWY is designing various methodologies for the effective Wisdom & Wellness Circles. A lot of research is going into finding the most effective way to conduct the circles.
*** All participants named in this report are employees &/or officers of Tap Elderly Women's Wisdom for Youth and have given explicit consent for their names to be used without alteration ***
TAP ELDERLY WOMEN’S WISDOM FOR YOUTH
Sakura Street, Sinza Makaburini
P. O. Box 32705
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
[Text]: +255 757 327 878 | [Call]: +255 737 773 982
tewwy@tewwy.org | www.tewwy.org
[12/16 - 12/20, 2019]: Wisdom & Wellness Partner [WWP] Report
Wisdom & Wellness Leaders [WWLs]
Wisdom & Wellness Officers [WWOs]
Wisdom & Wellness Counselors [WWCs]
TEWWY’s WWCs provide one-on-one wisdom and wellness counseling support as needed and collect data for the identification of potential Wisdom & Wellness support and resources beneficiaries at the allocated government health care facilities. Voluntary enrollment and participation affords an individual a plethora of mental health support services and resources, such as Mental Health Wisdom & Wellness SMS Promotion Campaign and Wisdom & Wellness Circles.
Objective
Each WWC will administer and submit no less than “X” responses per facility:
__50__ /Dispensary__50__/Health Center __50__/Hospital
Tools & Resources
Hardware: Tablet
Software: SurveyMonkey, TeleRivet
Consent Forms
OverallSurvey:
Accepted: __232__ Declined: __4__
Wisdom & Wellness Circles:
Subscribe: _____ Unsubscribe: _____ Declined: _____
Mental Health Wisdom & Wellness SMS Promotion Campaign:
Subscribe: __N/A__ Unsubscribe: __N/A__ Declined: __9___
Wisdom & Wellness Baseline Survey Statistics
WWCs Submitted Responses: _12_/15 WWCs
Reason(s): Poor internet connection
Total Responses Received: __232__ Completion Rate: ___ 65___%
Complete Responses: __150__ Incomplete Responses: __82__
Age: Average Respondent’s Age: __32__
Response from the Wisdom & Wellness Partner: Kigamboni Health Center
WWC: _Suzanne Njana_________________________________________________
Feedback from Field
Most Wisdom & Wellness Counselors experience challenges of transportation due to the minimal allowance allocation.
“I would like to request of the organization’s administration to consider increasing the transportation allowance. For most of us, we end up taking more than one or two buses; sometimes we have to make multiple connections, even be forced to board a Bajaj, which is quite costly - just to get the the facilities to provide mental health services”
Response from the Wisdom & Wellness Partner: Mwasonga Dispensary
WWC: __Alfreda George________________________________________________
Feedback from Field:
Inclement weather/heavy rains derailed the activity.
“Due to heavy rains I got at the health facility late considering the fact that I also have connect two bus routes to get there. Not only did the heavy rains on the that day alter my internet connection, but also prohibit hospital visits at a greater extent thus no responses from clients were sent on that day.”
Response from the Wisdom & Wellness Partner: Mbagala Rangi Tatu HC
WWC: __Grace Mshanga________________________________________________
Feedback from Field:
WWC was unable to provide service due to access restriction as a result of the WW Focal Contact Person’s absence.
“Sadly, the hospital’s health officer in charge denied me the permission to provide service at the OutPatientDepartment [OPD] since the focal contact person wasn’t available. After several futile attempts to explain who I was and why I was there, I finally gave up around 1:30pm.”
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