Mental Health Awareness & care AMHACI Initiative NIGERIA - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

AMHACI

African Mental Health Awareness & care Initiative

NIGERIA

For us, Mental Health is about sowing seeds of hope everywhere.

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THE INTERNATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH STANDARDS BOARD.

THE IMHSB IS THE PROUD SPONSOR OF

The African Mental Health Awareness & Care Initiative NIGERIA is a proud member of

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Table of content

Introduction……………………………………………………………. Page 5

Our Organisation

Our story……………………………...………………………………… page 8 Mission…………………………………………………………………… page 9 Objectives………………………………………………………………. page 10 Values………..…………………………………………………………… page 11 Members of the board…………………………………………. Page 12

Our services

Advocacy…….………………………………………………………… page 16 Accreditation…..……………………………………………………. page 18 Training………..……………………………………………………….. page 20 Support………………………………………………………………….. page 22

A Little more

What’s mental health again?………………………….…… page 24 Questions and Answers………………………………….…… page 24

Our Last words

Thank You……………………………………………………………… page 26

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Introduction

As much as it is not very difficult to find people agreeing with the importance of mental health, most of mental health organisations and institutions are battling in the middle of a “no man’s land” to get the recognition for appropriate funding, when most

• f the time, funding is nowhere to be found. African countries are taking lightly the

fact that in the absence of serious commitment with clear legislature to enhance good mental health and to provide ethical and high-quality services, there won’t be any sustainable development. A continent with the greatest potential but failing in its capacity to overcome corruption, terror, conflicts, wars, violence and gender abuse. Not related to mental health? We should think twice before answering. Emergence capacity is closely related to the capacity of looking at the reality as it is, not what is accommodating the image or the popularity. We can’t change reality if we can’t face it. Unfortunately, lies stand well among a lot of political leaders and they prefer abandoning mental health to psychiatry and clean their hands of any subsequent responsibility. But soon, mental health problems will be the second most spread non-communicable illnesses in Africa. Who will be then able to engage in economic growth? Mental health is not about psychiatry, far from it. Serious psychiatric diagnoses affect only 10-12% of the population. What are we doing for the other 85-90% who may suffer in silence? They may develop more serious conditions with time or they may as well, turn psychological pain into a need for revenge or payback. The sense

• f unfairness lives into each one of us but when we don’t have constructive

alternatives to handle this, we become destructive to ourselves or others, or worse, we are destructive toward ourselves and others. So, what do we do? Because we know that mental health is still victim of so much stigmatization, misperceptions and ignorance, we know there is still so much work to do. The AMHACI was created to advocate and support governments, NGOs’, organizations, businesses and corporations willing to engage in bettering the conditions of life for everyone and everywhere in Africa. Because we know the benefits, and because we love building bridges. Do you? Join us in supporting our actions.

AMHACI Board Members

Don’t we know that everything we think and do starts in

• ur head?

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Our story…

The AMHACI is about one thing . . . EMPOWERING people.

The AMHACI was born in December 2017, out of a humanitarian experience in the north east of Nigeria, where vulnerability cohabit with trauma, fear of terror and a lot of denial. The perfect combination to uphold the endless cycle of violence. As a small group of three people crazy enough but fully passionate about mental health, we were looking at doing more of what we were doing already. We put ideas to action by founding an international NGO, based in Nigeria. Although coming from various backgrounds but with the same strong will and desire to make a difference, we knew already there was one common ground we all agreed on. Mental Health is the most important key element to development and peace. But we also agreed on another important issue. To succeed in this venture, we must do things differently from others. Today, with the support of the IMHSB we have a solid expertise, a credible reference and we look forward in contributing to a better world by advocating, by engaging actions in improving living conditions and supporting governments in designing mental health legislation in Nigeria and other African countries.

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Mission To inspire and empower people, governments, institutions, corporations and organizations for positive change through mental health advocacy and support.

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OBJECTIVES

The promotion of better mental and social health; The improvement of the quality of professional life; An ethical support for medical and paramedical personnel; A high standard humanitarian intervention toward the most vulnerable; A guidance to mental health institutions in improving quality of services.

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✓ AMHACI Nigeria has for purpose to build bridges with everyone. To do so,

partnerships are crucial to fill its mission and meet the objectives.

✓ We are eager to establish constructive collaboration with every level of

governments, institutions, corporations and organisations because it is part of

• ur enrichment.

✓ We feel that the best success stories come from collective will and actions.

• By ensuring sustainability

✓ AMHACI Nigeria has also adopted the 4 sustainable principles of the IMHSB.

These principles focus on the importance of efficiency and capacity building.

✓ Sustainability is about the footprint left by our actions in the short term as much

as in the long-term. This forces us to ensure that everything we do, every activity we deploy must be part of a global vision already known.

✓ Empowerment and self-awareness are perfectly in line with sustainability.

How it works

• By meeting standards

✓ AMHACI Nigeria is a regulating body and uses standards in compliance with the

International Mental Health Standards Board (IMHSB).

✓ These standards are specifically designed to meet the particularities of different

professional environments and contexts.

✓ All activities engaged by the organisation must refer to these standards to meet

the objectives and always guarantee the highest quality of service.

• By creating strong partnerships

✓ REDUCING STIGMATIZATION; ✓ BUILDING CLINICAL & INTERVENTION

CAPACITIES;

✓ ENGAGING TOWARD MANAGERIAL BEST

PRACTICES;

✓ SUPPORTING HUMAN POTENTIAL

DEVELOPMENT;

✓ DECREASING SIGNIFICANTLY

PROFESSIONAL STRESS;

✓ IMPROVING LIVING & WORKING

CONDITIONS;

INCREASING QUALITY OF LIFE AND

DEVELOPING HEALTHIER BEHAVIOURS.

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Values

• Empathy
• Humility
• Integrity
• Excellence

Empathy is about considering others with humanism and sensitivity, respect for the dignity of the person and respect

• f differences without judgment.

All this, with authenticity and the understanding that we are all imperfect and equal beings. Humility, the need to question ourselves, the importance to doubt, to avoid pretention,

• certitudes. The right to make mistakes & the

right to correct them with the admission that life is a process of continuous learning where others are essential to our individual and collective enrichment. Integrity focuses on honesty and both personal and professional ethics. It is a commitment to act with equity, justice and rectitude. Crucial to create a climate

• f confidence, integrity must inspire our

way of being with oneself and others. Excellence, a commitment based on effort discipline, self-transcendence, the use of best practices and continuous

• improvement. A solution-focused and

a constructive vision which thrives inspiring sources of innovation & the development of the human potential.

The Mental Health Values are not just selected words we put on a list to look good. They are defining the state of mind we must hold toward oneself and others always. They should continuously be inspiring

• ur thoughts and actions

and how we interrelate with each other.

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Board Members

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• DR. FALMATA SHETTIMA

Psychiatrist, responsible of mental health services coordination at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri since12 years. I accepted to join the AMHACI because I don’t have any doubt about what we can do for mental health if we work together.

INNOCENT ONYEMA ALOBU

Engineer with more than 10 years in the Humanitarian sector, responsible

• f managing large project funding

and the performance of activities in the field. Passionate about his work, I am well recognized for my positive

• leadership. AMHACI is for me about

hope because of the strong values and principles of the organisation.

IBRAHIM MUHAMMAD JIDDA

Registered Psychiatric Nurse with 11 years of clinical experience. I have dedicated 7 years of my practice both in hospital in Borno State and a volunteer to IDPs in rendering MHPSS to traumatized victims and their families. I joined AMHACI to change the face

• f mental health in Africa.

MARIE PRISCA LAHSSEN

A 30 years career as a Clinical Psychologist, with more than 15 years experience in high level management and within humanitarian context. I am profoundly motivated by the impact

• f empowerment, and I trained

thousands of different publics. For me, AMHACI is an absolute must.

PATRICIA OKE OBROH

Associate Architect with more than 6 years working experience in the construction industry and 2 years in the humanitarian context. I am passionate about learning, living new experiences. AMHACI is a must for everyone no matter who you are for a fruitful life. I joined because I would like to contribute to the cause.

President National Board Clinical Country Coordinator Vice-President National Board Member National Board Funding Country Coordinator Member National Board

I.

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OUR SERVICES

Building bridges with everyone. Because we know without reaching out,

Without breaking the barriers of silence, Without overpassing judgment and fear, Without looking with courage at the challenges the way they are, We can’t do any good.

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Our voice travels everywhere to defend the “hard to sell” stuff... like mental health.

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Advocacy

✓ To whoever willing to hear us about Mental Health; ✓ To wherever we are asked to go in Nigeria and Africa; ✓ By any mean to reach out to the most number of people.

One of the challenge we have in Mental Health, is that most actors and professionals talk about it on their terms, more often targeting the illnesses, and diagnoses and by doing so, feeding in the popular belief that mental health is about being “crazy”. No!! the AMHACI says “stop!!!” We know by experience, that whatever we talk about, we talk also about mental health, without always bringing up this over again in the conversations. Yes, because we know that everything we think and do comes from our mind. We should look at mental health as what it is first and foremost, it is a wonderful and powerful tool at hand. And if we don’t protect that, things start then to go wrong. For us, advocacy is about giving one clear voice to mental health in a positive

• way. But its also about caring and loving and breaking fears. When we

stigmatize, we judge, we put down, we hold in us something destructive, and this is not good mental health. We advocate to change perceptions and behaviours because we know, we can’t change what we don’t know.

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Celebrating the recognition of effort and commitment to a better world.

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ACCReditation

✓ For NGO’s and international agencies; ✓ For businesses and corporations; ✓ For Mental Health professionals and institutions;

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Accreditation is a process which uses international standards in organisational health to help any type of private or public entity, including professionals, to move toward improving performance and practices. The standards are set to meet objectives, but they are also set to reduce stress factors impacting the quality of the professional environment. Our focus is mental health sure, and it might be difficult to link this to

• performance. But it had been proven numerous times that the conditions in

which projects, tasks, responsibilities are deployed, are key to efficiency because they are linked to the state of mind of the resource. Studies are clear. Happy workplaces are making happy employees and happy employees are up to 30% more performant. But most importantly, the work environment is healthier and foster the conditions of an organisational culture based on trust. When the accreditation is complete, we provide a label which formally states the recognition of the efforts made from the organisation to better its environment. For new employees looking for opportunities, this is very attractive.

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Training? This is how we sow the seeds of hope in Africa.

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tRaining

✓ For NGO’s and international agencies; ✓ For businesses and corporations; ✓ For Mental Health professionals and institutions;

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Training is about transmitting, transforming, giving, sharing and building hope too. We believe that the best way to engage people toward positive change is to set the opportunity to access self-awareness. Self-awareness means more knowledge, and knowledge provides more control and power

• ver the capacity to take better decisions for ourselves.

We have more than 3000 hours, 35 different programs available and we surely know how to empower with our trainings. Each training is always pre and post assessed to validate the quality of the content. We adapt each topic, each program to ensure as well that they meet expectations and

• bjectives.

The trainings are dynamic, participative with diversified tools and resources. They give the opportunity to think, discuss, share and exchange ideas, confront arguments and visions. If we are focusing on the quality of the content, we want to make sure as well that each training will leave a strong positive footprint in everyone’s mind. And this, we proved each time we did.

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We love inspiring and empowering people toward sustainable success.

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We have come to know that one of the best way to support people is by inspiring them and providing them exemplary guidance. We look at support as a key tool for empowerment and to help everyone and every organisation to develop its potential and attain success. We support governments, institutions, we offer our expertise to a wide range

• f actors and authorities in position of decision-making. We have experience

in building, developing, implementing and mediating in difficult contexts. Our support can take different aspects such as providing advices or work collaboratively on a specific project or support management in structural changes or again, participate in the elaboration of policies in liaison with best practices. Every initiative we take on, must be set to meet the IMHSB values and other different standards. That’s why we know, what we do, works.

Support

✓ In designing MH legislature, policies and protocols; ✓ In inspiring positive management & human resources practices; ✓ In building trusting environments for better workplaces; ✓ In engaging best practices with MH professionals & institutions etc....

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What’s mental health again?

“Mental Health is a state of being, a state of mind, intimately tied to our ability to feel, to connect with others and our environments, to express ourselves in creative ways, to confront and overcome challenges, to wish, hope and desire, to accept our own and others’ imperfections and differences, to attain success, appreciate, share and contribute, to make choices, take decisions and engage positively. It is also tied to our capacity to learn with an open mind, to be compassionate and forgiving toward ourselves and others, to one of our most crucial need, as to think freely, and act with integrity and humility as a free Human Being in the respect of who we are individually without affecting others’ freedom to be who they are.”

Graciously provided by the International Mental Standards Board

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Questions & Answers

What’s the difference between your organisation and all the others working also in mental health? We don’t treat mental health problems as a clinic, we focus on prevention and we work mainly with organisations, corporations, institutions. For what reasons an NGO would need your services? Humanitarians are confronted to many stress and studies have shown that about 45% of the field staff suffer from depression, anxiety and

• PTSD. We offer training and support to help

decrease mental health problems and to be more proactive in prevention in the workplace. Since you are an NGO, are all services free of charge in Nigeria? We don’t receive public funding of from donors. We need to charge fees for all services. But as an NGO, all revenues go to the development

• f services.

Why would I want my business to be accredited by you? An accreditation process is identifying what are the challenges in your work environment. We look at policies, we study the stress factors scale, we listen to everyone’s concerns. We do an analysis

• f the overall performance and we take in consideration your
• bjective for success. Then we implement the standards and you

get a label. This label is proving that you are engaged in caring for your human resource and this become an attractive aspect for you. If we would like to have training, do we have to go to you or your come to us ? We go everywhere to do training and in any conditions or any context as long as there is access to power and there is a minimum of security measures taken. If we would like to have a clinical consultation with you, what we have to do? We refer you to the most competent

• professional. We may look at

implementing holistic psychological services eventually but this is not our priority at this moment. What’s the role of the International Mental Health Standards Board you mention often? The IMHSB is an international regulatory body for Mental Health and support mental health organisations with the desire to adopt their standards and philosophy. We believe strongly in what and how they operate. It gives us also the recognition of being part of a credible organisation and have access to lots of resources we wouldn’t have otherwise.

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Thank you

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Board members who joined me in this beautiful venture and give my thanks to all the partners who are there to support our actions. Let’s be more ambitious than filling the gaps in Mental Health, let’s change the world together by sowing the seeds

• f hope with everyone and

build bridges wherever we go.

• M. P. Lahssen

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AFRIC ICAN ME MENTA TAL L HE HEALTH LTH AWARENESS SS & CAR CARE INIT ITIATI IATIVE VE Plot 72 • District Center Estate • Kubwa FCT Abuja • NIGERIA contact@amhaci.org • +234.803.314.2545 • +234.806.023.3886 • +234.803.359.6667