The Mental Health awareness and advocacy in schools and communities will provide information and knowledge to help youth and adolescent involve with behaviours and habits that may lead to mental illness to prevent occurrence and also teach them on how to connect a person with appropriate professionals.
The project focuses on early intervention in order to prevent mental health crisis. Raise awareness about mental health issues in communities and schools and train youth and students to detect signs/ symptoms of mental health and refer cases to relevant health centres and also Encourage schools and communities to develop contemporary ways of addressing mental health issues are the goals of the project.
This Project will basically focus on extensive mental health promotion, prevention, stigma and anti-discrimination activities in Schools and communities.
Executive Summary
Studies have shown that by 2020 mental illness and substance use disorders will be the number one cause of morbidity in the world including Liberia. Liberia has a population of approximately four million and more than half of the population is young people. Studies have shown that mental health problems and substance use disorders including addiction affects young people most.
Data shows that up to 75%of all mental disorders start in youth while mental disorders are the highest cause of long-term disability and dependency. Studies have shown that epilepsy, a neuropsychiatric condition is widespread in Liberia.
In Liberia, at least 400,000 people in Liberia suffer from mental illness, epilepsy or addiction problems and about 130,000 suffer from a severe form. Meanwhile, factors such as sexual violence, poverty overcrowded and poor housing, low levels of education, lack of employment, trauma and torture may contribute significantly to higher rate of mental disorder. Mental illness cannot be discussed in the absence of these two major impacts, the Liberian civil war and the recent Ebola virus disease.’
With the fourteen years of civil conflict and the recent deadly Ebola Virus Disease that plague this country thus, leading to trauma, depression and other causes of mental health issues a strong approach needs to be taken in order to prevent a mental health crisis in this county.
Predicated upon the forgoing, XXXXXXX have designed this project to address on a grass root level issues concerning mental health in Liberia. It aims at using training, advocacy and awareness as a tool to involve youth and students to formulate a grassroots-based approach that address stigma, increase understanding, change perception and get community youths and student exploring innovative ways of addressing mental health issues on the community level.
This one-year long project Pilot project which will affect 9 schools and 9 communities will be implemented in Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties worth’s one hundred twenty-four thousand seven hundred nine United States Dollars (USD 124,709) and seeks to address Strategic Objective 5&6 of the Liberia’s Mental Health Policy and Strategic Plan For 2016-2021 in order to buttress government’s effort in the sector.
Background
According to the Mental Health Policy and Strategic Plan for 2016-2021 ‘statistics revealed that by 2020 mental illness and substance use disorders will be the number one cause of morbidity in the world including Liberia. Liberia has a population of about four million and more than half of the population is young people. Studies have shown that mental health problems and substance use disorders including addiction affects young people most.
Up to 75%of all mental disorders start in youth while mental disorders are the highest cause of long-term disability and dependency. Studies have shown that epilepsy, a neuropsychiatric condition is widespread in Liberia.
General consensus based on an estimated global prevalence is that 10% of the population will suffer from common mental health disorder such as mild to moderate depression, anxiety disorder and substance misuse, about 3% will suffer from severe mental illness, such as chronic depression schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
It is alarmingly estimated that at least 400,000 people in Liberia suffers from mental health, epilepsy or addiction problems and about 130,000 suffer from a severe form. Meanwhile, factors such as sexual violence, poverty overcrowded and poor housing, low levels of education, lack of employment, trauma and torture may contribute significantly to higher rate of mental disorder. Mental illness cannot be discussed in the absence of these two major impacts, the Liberian civil war and the recent Ebola virus disease.’
Civil war- as stated in the Mental Health Policy and Strategic plan for 2016-2021 ‘from late 1989 to mid-2003, Liberia experienced a civil conflict that took away the lives of an estimated 250,000 Liberian, about 1 million people fled the war and were displaced. Liberia faced serious social and economics ruins because of the civil war. Sexual violence was use as a weapon during the war, women and girls were repeatedly subjected to rape and gang rape survivors of the war experienced or witnessed acts of sexual brutality, mutilation, cannibalism and torture giving them physical and emotional trauma.
Children were forced it join rebel groups while girl soldiers were used as sex slaves for militia commanders. Many former combatants are addicted to drugs (marijuana, cocaine, Italian white, TAC, etc.) and/or alcohol.’
Ebola Virus Disease – as quoted by the Ebola Survivors Care and Support Policy of 2016WHO data shows between March, 2014 and December 2015that more than 10,700 Liberians were infected and over 4,800 have died from EVD, with over 5,000 EVD survivors of whom 1, 558 are line listed (64% are female). Line listing refers to those who were admitted to Ebola treatment units (ETUs), tested and confirmed positive for EVD, received appropriate supportive therapy, then subsequently tested and confirmed EVD negative on two counts prior to discharge from the ETU. They were then formally certificated as EVD negative and registered as a survivor in the national database. At the other end of the spectrum, those who manifested signs and symptoms of EVD and did not go to an ETU for testing and care are not line listed because they were not officially considered survivors, even though they may have had full manifestations of the disease and recovered after receiving home care in several variations.
The residual sequalae following EVD infection pose unique challenges to the survivors. Many EVD survivors suffer from persistent medical conditions which may lead to mental health issues. The virus has had a wide-ranging psychological impact as well as contributing to factors that exacerbate trauma and mental illness such as disruption and loss of livelihood, pervasive fear, and chronic illness and less education opportunities, loss of loved ones and colleagues. Many of the Ebola survivors and families who lost family members, mental health problems, object poverty, family breakdown and hostility.
The Ebola crisis has had a devastating effect on the social fabric of the country with significant cultural norms and coping strategies being denied, the need for mental and psychosocial services remains a top priority. It is also proposed within five years all general community health volunteer (gCHV’s) in urban areas and the new community Health Workers for rural and remote areas will be trained in basic identification, referral and psychosocial interventions.
There will be training for teachers, community leaders, traditional and religious healers in basic identification, referral, mental health and psychosocial skills to enable them identify, referred and support people with common mental health problems in their communities. There is a widespread fear and misunderstanding amongst people in Liberia about people living with mental illness and substance used disorders. Some myths are (witchcraft, demon possessed, crazy or stupid etc.). This Project will basically focus on extensive mental health promotion, prevention, stigma and anti-discrimination activities in Schools and communities.
Needs Assessment
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- By 2020 mental illness and substance use disorder will be number one cause of morbidity in the world including Liberia
- Studies show that mental health problems and substance abuse including addiction affects young people most
- Studies have shown that epilepsy, a neuropsychiatric condition is wide spread in Liberia
- Studies have shown that at least 400,000people in Liberia suffer from mental health, epilepsy or addiction problem and about 130,000 suffers from severe form
- Meanwhile, sexual violence, poverty low level of education, lack of employment, trauma and torture may contribute to mostly high rate of mental disorder in Liberia.
- The Liberian civil war and the just ended Ebola Virus Disease are also major causes of mental health problems.
- Youth and adolescent are at high risk in terms of mental health problems since these conditions often begin while victims are in their teens.
Program Overview
XXXXXX is involved in Peer education on HIV/AIDS, Conflict Management and Career Awareness in various high schools in Montserrado and Grand Bassa counties. XXXXXXX implement projects that enhance the skills and knowledge of students and youth to focus on creating a better environment, education and health. The organization played a key role in the successful planning and implementation of the national celebration of the World Mental Health Day as a Co-chair for the planning committee and our Founder/Executive Director also served as a panelist during the program which took place on October10, 2018. We currently have twelve (12) professional staff and have trained twenty-eight (28) youths and students as ambassadors for awareness and advocacy in their communities to date through our Annual Youth and Students Summit program.
The Mental Health awareness and advocacy in schools and communities will provide information and knowledge to help youth and adolescent involve with behaviors and habits that may lead to mental illness to prevent occurrence and also teach them on how to connect a person with appropriate professionals. The project focuses on early intervention in order to prevent mental health crisis.
The awareness can effectively be achieved in schools and communities with the involvement of youth volunteers in providing peer educations
The core message of Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy is communicated through messages, peer education and its related activities, which encompasses the skills, knowledge to help connect an individual with mental health issue to appropriate professional, peer, and self-help care.
Mental health awareness and peer Counselors training in schools and communities are very important. It helps students and instructors know their status and what they must do to keep themselves mentally healthy at all times.
Methodology
In order to get this project on course, the following reasonable methods have been designed with realistic outcome module that befits it implementation.
Training – The training will be conducted in three phases as follow:
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- Phase 1
- TOT training for 8 XXXXXXX staff
- Phase 2
- Awareness and Advocacy training for 9 teachers and 108 students
- Phase 3
- Awareness and Advocacy training for 9 community youth leaders and 108 community youth
- Phase 1
Upon acceptance of this proposal, a partnership agreement will be signed between XXXXXXX and our donor which will clearly state how the donor will provide the grant/support for the implementation of this project.
Goals and Objective
Goal – The goal of this project is to;
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- Raise awareness about mental health issues in communities and schools
- Train youth and students to detect signs/ symptoms of mental health and refer cases to relevant health centers.
- Encourage schools and communities to develop contemporary ways of addressing mental health issues.
Objective – The objective of this project is to implement two key components of the Strategic Objective (SO) of the Mental Health Policy and strategic Plan for 2016-2021:
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- Train Community based workers, Students and Teachers to recognize signs of mental illness and make referrals to the appropriate health providers and facilities. (This addresses SO 5).
- Sensitize selected communities and schools about neuropsychiatric disorder (epilepsy, mental health and illness and addiction) and modify negative perceptions about the mentally ill thereby minimizing stigma and negative behavior toward the mentally ill and others with neuropsychiatric disorder (epilepsy, substance use disorder). Encourage families to be involved in the care and management of their loved ones. Prepare mental health promotion and prevention policies. (This addresses SO 6).
