MindCare Foundation Fighting mental health stigma in KenyaOne of the chaplains at Fieldhead hospital has been using his experience to help people in Kenya understand more about mental health. Rev’d Benson Kimaru comes from Gacharu, a village on the slopes of Mount Kenya. He explains, “In Gacharu people with mental health problems are treated as outcasts by the family and the community. Such is the stigma attached to mental ill health that family members have been known to resort to extreme behaviour such as physically containing the mentally ill person indoors or taking the person hundreds of miles away and dumping them in another village or town.”
Mathari Mental Hospital is the main national referral hospital in Kenya where patients are admitted, treated and on discharge followed up in the clinic. The hospital has great difficulty meeting the high demands placed on it. Rev’d Kimaru and the Rev’d. Michael Gartland, head of Pastoral and Spiritual Care, went to Gacharu in 2011 and held a consultative workshop about this situation. Over 50 families with some mentally ill members attended and contributed their stories. Benson led another team to Kenya in February 2012 where they conducted another workshop which attracted 150 families with at least one member with mental illness. The common theme was that people felt very isolated and on their own in trying to help people with mental health problems. Many felt that they would benefit from a day care centre where mentally ill people could be welcome, receive therapy and be re-habilitated. This is also expected to be a good example to be copied for other areas in Kenya and other third world countries. It was hoped that such a centre, staffed by mental health workers could meet with the local community and begin to break down the stigma relating to mental ill health. Can you help?
Rev’d. Kimaru has identified a piece of land which could be used to build a centre and is beginning to consider ways of raising the funding necessary to set up such a project. He is faced with problems of how to get started and is looking for volunteers with ideas, skills and experiences to be equipped for this project. For further information please contact Benson Kimaru on Benson.Kimaru@swyt.nhs.uk More information can also be found at www.gacharu.yolasite.com MindCare Foundation International A brief introduction I would like to start by telling the reader about my initial thoughts when I wrote a small story for the Pathways magazine called, “Frontline“ The magazine is manned by former mentally ill persons most of them are involved in the running of Pathways Day Care Centre in Mirfield UK.The story was entitled, “Fighting mental illness Stigma in Kenya ”….read on….. Benson Kimaru tells the story about the appalling treatment people with mental health problems face in Kenya and his plans to address this. Rev’d. Kimaru comes from Gacharu, a village on the slopes of Mount Kenya . He narrates about the terrible way people with mental health problems are treated. “In Gacharu mentally ill people are treated as outcasts by the family and other members of the community. Such is the stigma attached to mental ill health that family members have been known to resort to extreme behaviour such as physically containing the mentally ill person indoors by use of ligatures or taking the person hundreds of miles away and dumping them in another village or town.” Mathari Mental Hospital is the main national referral hospital in Kenya where patients are admitted, treated and on discharge followed up in the clinic.The hospital has great difficulty meeting the high demands placed on it. Rev’d Kimaru and the Rev’d. Michael Gartland head of Pastoral and Spiritual Care Fieldhead Hospital went to Gacharu in February 2011 and held a consultative workshop about this situation; over 50 families with some mentally ill members attended and contributed their stories. The common theme was that people felt very much isolated and on their own in trying to help people with mental health problems. Many felt that the establishment of a day care centre where mentally ill people could be welcome, receive therapy and be re-habilitated would be a Godsend. This is also expected to be a good example to be copied for other areas in Kenya and other third world countries. It was hoped that such a centre, staffed by mental health workers, could meet with the local community and begin to break down the stigma relating to mental ill health. Rev’d. Kimaru has identified a piece of land which could be used to build a centre and is beginning to consider ways of raising the funding necessary to set up such a project. Rev. Kimaru is faced with problems of how to get started and is looking for volunteers with ideas, skills and experiences to be equipped for this noble project! Mental illness stigma- an examination As a professional employed in the field of mental healthcare, I have noticed in my work that many of our clients experience social stigma in their daily lives because of their mental health issues. I have also observed that stigmatising attitudes vary amongst the different ethnic communities in the population that we serve. I suspect that this may be because ethnic communities retain stigmatising attitudes and values from the culture of their country of origin. This means that many people who experience mental illness are faced with a double challenge: on the one hand they have to cope with the disabilities and symptoms that result from their mental health issues; on the other hand they are confronted by prejudice and misconceptions about their mental health by the people in their families and communities. I believe that further study and research in this area would be of benefit to the National Health Service by helping others in the mental health hospital, particularly those that work in the field of mental health care and wellbeing, to achieve greater understanding and insight into the varying degrees of stigma and its associated cultural related complexities experienced by people with mental illness from the different ethnic minorities in this country (in the UK). To investigate the subject of stigma in mental health I have chosen to visit Gacharu, a village at the slopes of Mt. Kenya in Central Kenya. This location has been selected because it provides us with an opportunity to study a community that practises extreme social stigmatisation of mentally ill people. In Gacharu mentally ill people are treated as outcasts by the family and other members of the community. In order to avoid the shame of being associated with a mentally ill person, family members have been known to resort to extreme behaviour such as physically containing the mentally ill person indoors by the use of ligatures or taking the person hundreds of miles away and dumping them in another village. In our study of Gacharu we want to analyse the social and cultural processes that lead to the acute stigmatisation of its mentally ill people. We intend to achieve our objective by a series of interviews with a variety of people associated with the mentally ill. In our interviews we will include people who have directly experienced stigmatisation because of their mental illness, family, relatives, neighbours and friends of these people and professionals such as doctors, care workers, teachers and pastors. We also see this exercise in terms of sharing knowledge about mental health: while we hope to gain an insight into the process of stigmatisation in Gacharu, and learn about their attempts to overcome it, we would also like to share information about successful campaigns in this country that have helped in the fight to overcome stigma of the mentally ill. I would like to personally invite people who have experienced living with mentally ill people either at home or in hospital setting to come forward and give their ideas, experiences and skills for the benefit of fighting mental illness stigma in Kenya. I must confess at this stage that the vision to engage fighting mental illness in Kenya was born out of my visit to Pathways day Care Centre in addition to my chaplaincy work at Fieldhead Mental hospital in Wakefield , UK . OUR VISON For us, this means a world in which the mentally disordered and their families have emotional & psychological support; cared for; and enjoy better health; and can fully exercise their human rights. OUR MISSION Our mission is to seek out and serve the mentally disordered, particularly the forgotten men, women and children who live in difficult-to-access regions in Africa . OUR VALUES Our actions are guided by the following values: · Participation · Equality and diversity · Dignity · Evidence-based · Compassion · Respect VISION & MISSION
2. What we do 3 Where we work 4 Leadership 5 Organisational Structure 6 Partners 7 Projects 10 Other Members & Associates WHO WE ARE The impact of mental health on individuals, families and the growth of a nation cannot be overemphasised. Our work is compassionate and practical, providing emotional and psychological support and upholds the dignity and independence of every person, regardless of race, religion and creed. At MindCare, we seek to ensure that people with mental disabilities (mental health problems and/or intellectual disabilities) are able to live as equal citizens in the community and to participate in society with full respect for their human rights. (The example of Pathways, Basil and team) MindCare promotes the social inclusion of people with mental disabilities by supporting the development of community-based alternatives to institutionalization and by actively engaging in policy-based advocacy WHAT WE DO So far we have conducted three workshops in Kirinyaga and Mbeere Counties in Kenya between 2011 and 2012 as follows:- i) 28th Feb. 2011 held at the MU hall at St Phillips Baricho ACK church Kirinyaga County attendance 50 people ii) 16th feb.2012 held at Christ church Kiangwachi inKirinyaga County attendance 150 people iii) 2nd March 2012 held at ACK Kanothi in Mbeere County attendance 50 people iv) In most cases we also present gifts to the needy participants as much as we receive for various donors. v) The title of the workshops, “Fighting mental illness in Kenya ” The long- term impact of Man-made and natural disasters on the emotional and psychological needs of victims and their families can be quite staggering. The immediate aftermath is the provision of medical and material support with little emphasis on the consequences on the mental health of the victims. MindCare will be willing to participate with other agents to bring about life-saving relief and rehabilitation in disasters, conflict areas, and other crises by working alongside the most vulnerable. Mindcare recognises the need to implement mental health and psychosocial interventions for people · Earthquakes · Wars · Floods · Victims & Families living with HIV/AIDS · Children in Orphanages · People with mental health & their relatives · Marriage breakdown and other relationships Capacity Development · Training in Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in Developing Countries: · Training in the use of Rapid Appraisal techniques Consultancy & Training · Design and implementation of a variety of short-term and long-term quantitative and qualitative program and project evaluations. · Monitor activities, assessments and appraisals. · Conduct strategic analysis. Public Health & Health Promotion/ Mental Health Awareness · Health Education · Social Marketing Providing Humanitarian Assistance Providing material and financial support to victims during times of crisis Poverty Alleviation Supporting Lower circuit Industries in Project area through Micro- finance and other community development projects. Mental Health Promotion Water & Sanitation-(our partner organization, “Gacharu Water project” has reached far and wide beneficiaries in Kirinyaga County , visit our website atwww.gacharu.yolasite.com · Provide Community Animation · We provide a flexible range of relief and rehabilitation services, with expertise in health care, water and sanitation, shelter and infrastructure. Share Experience Scheme: ( UK volunteer) MindCare is aimed at working in the future with travelling and tour companies to design holiday packages for retired professionals ( medical, social workers, nurses, teachers etc,) who plan visiting these project countries to volunteer whilst on holidays by sharing their experiences and knowledge with local staff. MindCare shall also be working closely and directly with families in project areas to provide accommodation for Students on Gap year who wish to share their experience as volunteers on our projects. Develop evaluation training and guidance. · Evaluate case studies, meta-evaluations, and other evaluative studies. WHERE WE WORK
MindCare currently works in some of the poorest communities around the world. Currently we work in 2 countries where current or emerging HIV epidemics have been identified
LEADERSHIP Board of Trustees Will need to be established both in Kenya and UK . Field Staff · Project Manager · Accounts & Administration · Project staff (support staff) · Volunteers OUR PARTNERS MindCare aims to work within the National framework and laws set by Governments of our project countries. We will work closely with local churches, third sector organisations and ministries that share similar vision as MindcCare. MindCare is also looking forward to future partnership and working relationship with the willing donors both individually and organisations with particular interest on contact references. Mike, Mr & Mrs Kimaru, Nancy Buluma, Jane Wangai, Rahab Karungaru and so on include some of our committed one off and regular donors. Donors of various categories are very welcome including, befriending, carers, giving ideas and sharing experiences and so on. During the Kiangwachi workshop which was attended by among others, the local vicar and 9 other kirinyaga diocesan clergy, local chief and local Councillor; two major decisions were reached at:-
i) That we engage in the establishment of a local Day care Centre where Rev’d. Kimaru and his family were willing to donate one acre of their land. See the budget of the same The Proposed Day Care centre (Kirinyaga) Budget Recurring expenditure/Wages (monthly) Psychiatric Nurse.........£160 (part-time) Book-keeper.................£100 (part-time) 2 support workers.........£160 (part-time) 2 cooks..........................£ 175 (part-time) Volunteering expenses..£ 160 (as and when required) Fire wood ( a lorry a month...£ 30 House rent..........................£ 25 Security...............................£ 60 Water bill..............................£ 2 Mobile phone airtime.............£ 10 Food ……… .£ 100 Toiletries …£ 20 Sub-total.....£ 990 (monthly) working 4 days. Capital expenditure Office tel. mobile £ 40 Back rest sitting forms.....£ 30 Office chairs.................. .£ 18 Office desk........................£ 20 Computer.( +accessories).....£ 300 Sub-total.........................£ 408 We need £ 870+ 408 =£1,278 if the Day Care Centre will start operations. To run the project for two years an estimate of £25,000 will be sought. ii) That pastors will organise their individual congregations to start the ministry of befriending geared towards the mentally ill persons within the locality. It was agreed that the starting point would be a congregation organising may be lunch at least one day per week where mentally ill persons are invited for lunch and a chat where Christians will be trained on how to befriend mentally ill people. A Mrs Glynis Stirling is planning to visit Kirinyaga later in the year from the UK for the purpose of training as many people as would be willing to be friend the mentally ill persons.
Rev’d. Benson Kimaru
Founder MindCare Foundation International 12th March 2012 Wakefield, UK |
