M(H)IND – Mental Health INtegrated Development
South Sudan
Status
ImplementationAid type
Project-type interventionsSouth Sudan
Location
-
€ 3,595,750
Committed
Committed
€ 2,157,450
Used
Used
Description
The initiative titled M(H)IND [Mental Health INtegrated Development] aims at contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal no. 3, in regard to its Mental Health component (Overall Objective). This takes place through the significant improvement of the mental health status and the psychological resilience among the target population (individuals suffering from psychological, neurological, and psychiatric conditions), both in the short and in the medium-to-long term, thanks to the fight of stigma, to dedicated community-based and clinical services as well to the availability of competent social and health personnel (Specific Objective). The project is carried out by Amref Health Africa, in partnership with Caritas, BBC Media Action and the University of Verona, over a period of three years. It falls into the framework of the larger mhGAP program, led by the World Health Organization (WHO) at global level, aimed at bridging the treatment gap of mental health conditions which characterizes various parts of the planet. This gap is particularly wide in fragile and post-conflict contests, such as South Sudan: the youngest nation in the world records the 4th highest suicide rate in the continent and sees a fifth of its population wither suffering or being at risk of developing psychological or psychiatric ailments. In this country the M(H)IND project represents the first initiative exclusively dedicated to the expansion of mental health services to the community, primary and secondary levels, to be fully integrated into the local health delivery system as per the vision of the Ministry of Health of South Sudan. The needs assessment carried out in 7 counties of intervention highlighted a series of problems affecting this context, after decades of conflict and instability, such as the widespread exposure and experience to phenomena of violence and deprivation, the low degree of awareness around mental health, the lack of services and personnel able to identify and treat mental health conditions, and the limited availability of information and strategic direction in this field, at institutional level. The initiative addresses the needs deriving from the above-mentioned problems by means of an integrated, multidimensional, cross-cutting approach which takes into due consideration the country’s constraints; it thus capitalizes on existing, sustainable, and fully functioning community programs and public healthcare facilities. The intervention logic foresees the achievement of three results, in the pursuit of the Specific Objective, in line with WHO recommendations pertaining to the organization of mental health care: individuals and communities; primary and secondary healthcare facilities; policy level. The first result envisions that individuals and communities can identify, refer, prevent, and provide essential care for psychological, neurological, and psychiatric conditions by the end of the project period. This is achieved through: awareness campaigns on mental health recurring to Social null Change Communication, a methodology widely tested by BBC Media Action; the training and deployment of hundreds of Boma Health Workers linked to the Boma Health Initiative of the Ministry of Health; the training and deployment of parish-based volunteers engaged by Caritas South Sudan and / or the respective dioceses for the provision of socioeconomic and psychosocial support. The latter is offered by adopting an innovative methodology for the reduction of the psychological discomfort named “Self Help Plus” (SH+), recently introduced in South Sudan, scientifically validated, and promoted by the WHO in areas characterized by severe lack of qualified social and health personnel.
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| Year | Committed | Used |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | € 3,595,750 | € 2,157,450 |
Agency
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| Government | AICS - Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development | 11000 |
Channel reported
| Type | Name | Channel code |
|---|---|---|
| International NGO | AMREF HEALTH AFRICA ONG/ON | 21045 |
Project data
Sectors
Policy markers
SDGs
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