SOMEONE Always Listens Toyou (S.A.L.T) has partnered with Society for Pre and Post Natal Services (SPANS) in raising mental health awareness campaign in the rural communities. The campaign was held on 8th of March the International Women’s day in Goromonzi.
By Patricia Mashiri
Mental health is the social, emotional and psychological well-being. It affects how people handle think, feel and handle things. The partnership came after realization that there people have no to less knowledge on mental health issues.
Tafadzwa Meki, the founder of S.A.LT Africa said they chose to partner with spans since they deals with the mental health of women in particular pre and post-natal.
We partnered with spans because their first client is a woman because they are pre and post natal oriented. They also focus largely on mental health issues that affect women and since it was International Women’s day we also focus on primarily mental health care we found that this would be a strategic partnership.
“We wanted to go on the area focus which is peri- urban and just have a feel of what the woman go through, the challenges they face, expectations and their knowledge on issues affecting they especially that it was International Women’s day we wanted to know if the women that are being celebrated know that it’s their day and do they know that it is okay to have mental health issues that you want to talk about them,” Meki said.
Gogo Chatikombo, a resident of Goromonzi acknowledged that they have limited knowledge on mental health, however there is need for more awareness on both men and women on mental health as most of the mental health problems come from marriages.
She added that most women suffer in silence not having anyone to talk to. She also mentioned that gender based violence should be addressed at all costs because sometimes it causes depression in homes.
After a discussion with the women in the peri-urban area of Goromonzi Meki and her team discovered that there was need for more awareness regarding mental health issues.
“We noticed that there is minimal to limited knowledge on what mental health is. A lot of women that we spoke to portrayed mental health in relation to chronic mental illness which is not entirely the case when we talk mental health we are including everything and just the general well-being and a holistic state of the mind which includes cognitive, emotional and behavioural that symbolises a complete mental state of mental being.
There is need for mental health awareness amongst communities and unfortunately of the months we have seen that it’s not just peri-urban or rural folks that are not aware. It is even corporates and people in the big cities who do not have vast knowledge on the importance of mental health and the different between mental illness and mental well-being and how it is an important aspect of every individual’s life,” Meki said.
