Mental Health Experts Trained on Data Validation

As our regular readers will already know, Gede Foundation signed a 6-month research contract with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Nigeria/ Sustainable Mechanisms for Improved Livelihoods and Household Empowerment (SMILE) project in May 2016. The contract is focused on delivering an approach to community based detection, treatment and referral services for vulnerable children with mental health and psychosocial problems and their caregivers. Sequel to the 7-day training on Research for project Research Assistants and CRS-SMILE Team in June, a three-day training on Data Validation was conducted from25th of July to the 27th of July inclusive. 

Dr. Brandon Khort, one of Gede’s Board members and an assistant professor at Duke University conducted the training. Dr. Khort also provides technical support for the project. He specialises in Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences and Anthropology and has done research interventions in several countries such as Nepal, Mongolia, Haiti and various parts of Africa. The participants to the training were four (4) mental health experts engaged by Gede Foundation to support the project in its data validation stage where screening tools that were culturally adapted will be tested against a gold standard tool.  Dr. Cynthia Ticao, Jeremy Boglosa and Temitope Gafaar (a volunteer from Duke University) were among those in the training.  

The training was highly technical because it focused more on diagnosis of mental health conditions among children but Dr. Kohrt delivered it in a very practical and interactive manner.  The first day focused more on data validation process and review of the tool.  One the second day, the mental health experts practiced by administering the tool with children invited by Gede from one of its partner communities.  The last day was a time for the mental health experts to get acquainted with the research assistants.  The group reviewed the translated screening tools on the same day.  

The project has gone to a level where the tools and personnel are almost ready to go to the communities to interact and gather data from the respondents.  There is still a long way to go but the project team both from Gede Foundation and Catholic Relief Services-SMILE is confident that the results of research project will go a long way in opening avenues for discussion regarding child mental health in Nigeria.  

YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE: FUN OR FATAL?

“I could not remember things and I could not truly focus; my life was a blur.”

University is supposed to be a fun time; newly exposed to the world, on your own and with so much freedom. This is exactly what it was for me. However, there was so much more that I could barely contain the excitement. 

I got involved with drugs quite innocently. It was mostly recreational - they called it and it was fun. It was not long before my reasons for using “slow” changed completely. I needed it to feel like myself and I needed it to get along with others or do my assignments or go for parties. I was on this high that I cannot quite describe. My drug of choice was codeine and it was quite easy to get too. Most people took it to sleep. I took it to fight the sleep. That was the beauty of it. Did my grades suffer? Not really. I was still the straight A, Deans List student I had always been. 

I began to lose weight at an alarming rate and I needed to read things more and more in order to remember them. I could not remember things and I could not truly focus; my life was a blur. It was at this point that my friends and family took notice. I was cautioned because, what is addiction in an African home?? I was prayed for but did not stop. I came from an affluent family so money was not an issue. When my parents found out that I had not stopped, they cut me off. I cannot begin to describe the things I have done to get a fix. Did I mention that my addiction went into crack cocaine? It is amazing how easy it is to get these drugs right in Abuja. 

I have woken up in strange places, wearing strange men’s clothing. I’d slept with men to get my drug of choice. I even have a baby and thankfully, I know the father. This did not stop me from wanting to get drugs. When my parents cut me off, I went as far as begging random men using my son to get drugs. I am not proud of what I have done and I am grateful for my parents because they finally took me to a rehabilitation centre. It seemed to work the first time and I was in touch with the person I was before. I tried to get my life back on track and then I relapsed. 

I was taken to rehab two more times until my parents kind of gave up. Note that in the middle of my second year at university, I could not keep up anymore. Studies didn’t mean all that much to me anymore. I just needed to get high and go about my way. 

Where am I now? I’m back in university. All my friends have graduated and either have amazing jobs and families or are getting their PhDs. I am ashamed and remorseful but I have my family’s backing and support. Some of my friends want nothing to do with me and I understand where they are coming from.

The temptation to use is always there. However, I have a psychiatrist that I see and I am getting better. I am told it takes time and constant effort to stay clean. I am allowed to see my son and I have to live with the guilt of what I have done. Everyday, step by step, I am learning to deal with those emotions that caused me to want more and more of the drugs. I keep myself distracted. My youthful exuberance got me a baby and some wasted years. I can say I am lucky because I am still here but others have not been so lucky. 

Submitted by a survivor of substance abuse

Gede's Mental Health Camp in the News

Please follow this link to read more in the Daily Trust http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/health/drug-abuse-blamed-for-rising-mental-disorders/158303.html

Community Based Volunteer Highlight: Elisha Shaibu

The BasicNeeds project would be almost impossible to carry out if not for the efforts of the Community Based Volunteers (CBVs). They take time out of their daily activities to enrol users (those living with mental illnesses and epilepsy) and this is no easy task. Sometimes they have to walk long distances to find users, other times they encounter hostile users yet they continue. 

Elisha is one of the volunteers from Mararaba. He volunteers in his community in matters such as security, health issues (polio, HIV and now mental health), numbering of houses in the community and much more. 

Gede Foundation recruited him for the BasicNeeds project in April earlier this year. He has this to say about the project and Gede Foundation and mental health intervention in his community- 

“Gede Foundation is genuine and wants to help the people. They have not asked for money from community members and have delivered on what they promised so far. From this project, I am learning that there are so many mental disorders and people really need help. I have also learned that some disorders can be avoided although not easily, such as drug and substance abuse. The people out there need to be educated so that those suffering from mental illnesses can feel safe and secure and not be rejected. It is good that Gede has come to do the Mental Health Camp, because people are now aware of it and more of them have come out. I like to help people and being part of this is good. I have been able to reach many many people and for this I am happy. It is good that Gede is doing what they have promised.”

Elisha Shaibu

Elisha is a hard worker and with his strong work ethic and involvement in the community, there are more good things to come with respect to the project. 

Stakeholders’ Sensitisation Meeting with NGOs/CSOs-CBOs/FBOs on Health Care Financing

Gede Foundation Calabar was part of a 1 day sensitisation meeting with NGOs/CSOs-CBOs/FBOs on Health Care Financing organised by Abt Associates and its partners and sponsored by USAID’s Health, Finance and Governance Project (HFG). The meeting was held in Calabar and had over 40 participants including representatives from State Ministry of Finance, Ministry of NGO/CSOs Affairs, Ministry of Health, State Agency for the Control of AIDS - SACA, Faith/Community-Based Organisations, Civil Society Organisation and Networks. 

The purpose of the meeting was to sensitise participants on health care and service delivery systems as they relate to health insurance outcomes. Discussions were based on,(i) financing for health and HIV/AIDS through domestic resource mobilisation, and, (ii) enhancing good governance and support for Health Care Financing reforms. The meeting also acquainted participating CSOs/NGOs with the Cross River State’s health accounting process – Resource Tracking of Heath funds and presentation of the Cross River State road map on Health Insurance Scheme. 

During discussions, the organisers were asked if resources/funds mobilised were only channelled to HIV/AIDS interventions and related illnesses and whether or not other health challenges, such as mental health could be addressed as well. In response, Mr. Ibiam Azu, the State Programme Coordinator (USAID Health Finance and Governance Project) explained that the HFG project is working with the Nigerian government to mobilise additional public funding for national HIV programming and this mobilisation is through the State’s Health Insurance scheme. This work includes generating financial evidence on the costs, impact, and sustainability of HIV efforts, using this evidence to mobilise additional resources, and ensuring efficient, effective, and equitable use of national HIV programming resources. 

This meeting was the first of its kind in Cross River State. Abt Associate is also holding consultations with Line Ministries within the State and will be working with CSOs/NGOs within the State to advocate for mobilisation of funds for HIV/AIDS and its related illness.

GEDE HOLDS ITS SECOND MENTAL HEALTH CAMP

He kept staring at me. No matter where I looked or what I did, he would not stop staring. I tried smiling but he kept a straight face and I was uncomfortable. And then he threw his head back and laughed. I’ll admit that I was a bit taken aback. Why was he laughing at me? Was it my hair? Was my shirt on backwards? Since I was frightened at this moment, I moved close to one of my colleagues at the Mental Health Camp. This set the tone for the MHC and I kept my distance for a while. 

However, as time went on, I remembered that he was less likely to get violent. I had seen similar cases at Gede’s first MHC. The only thing the man was doing was laughing. True, it made me uncomfortable but laughter doesn’t hurt. And so I laughed with him. 

The second Mental Health Camp which was held in Mpape was quite different from the one in Mararaba. We held this one at a Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre and as there was a lot of awareness created, a lot more people showed up than was expected. There were enrolments carried out right at the MHC as well as individuals that simply came to volunteer their services for free.

We had a young man that has no less than five seizures a day. He couldn’t have been more than 8 years old. Another young lady presented with paranoia and delusions, although not completely unfounded. She had been previously shackled to a pole in a church and let loose on the day of the MHC. While at the MHC, she said she did not want to be in bondage anymore. She went on to say that everyone deserves freedom. She kept asking if she was a criminal and asked if the pastor was the police to chain her that way. After the session with the doctor, the young lady refused to go back to the church. She demanded to be left alone at the hospital instead of going back to being shackled. This brought on many thoughts. Was being shackled helping at all? True, she may not run off but was this helping her mental health? 

Another lady, a new mother, her baby barely a week old, ran away because she did not want to be associated with mental illnesses. 

It is clear that stigma plays a big role in whether or not people living with mental illnesses and their families come out for medical intervention. There are many lessons learned from the two mental health camps and hopefully people will begin to understand that having something wrong with your mind or being epileptic is nothing to be ashamed of.

The next round of MHC's will be held in Mpape and Mararaba at the end of August. 

Zunzika Thole

Road Rage, Deplorable Roads and Traffic Stress

Road rage is a collection of aggressive behaviours by the driver of a vehicle, which is beyond the perceived offence committed. These behaviours range from shouting, screaming, yelling, and using objects such as belts, ‘koboko’, which could hurt the victim and/or damage their vehicle. They are behaviours that occur in response to a perceived unfair provocation while driving. These behaviours could be habitual such as reckless driving (tail gaiting, snail/speed driving) or situational such as encountering potholes and detours with no warning, 

The hinterlands, where most activities of Gede Foundation Calabar take place, is miles away from the metropolis and each trip on this route is a story of its own. I have experienced road rage from motorists, “area boys” (group of young men) that extort money from commercial drivers under the disguise of helping to control traffic and even passengers who are also stressed travellers such as myself. 

One of the roads to the hinterlands

Very often, the road safety enforcement agencies report on accidents due to deplorable roads and careless driving with no recognition given to underlining mental impact of the bad road, long lines of vehicles, traffic jams and extortions on the driver and passengers. There is a need to consider mental health awareness on the impact of stress caused by bad roads, extortions and detours, tailgating another vehicle on drivers especially commercial and long distance drivers.

While anyone can feel rage, some people have been known to get violent while driving. There is a story of a young pregnant woman who got out of her car and shot someone with a stun gun. The amount of anger one is feeling to do such a thing must be intense. A person’s emotions can be triggered by what they think or feel another driver is doing and they may take offence. Could it be that this ignored stressor is actually the main cause of the displaced aggression during driving? According to WebMD, with road rage, you are under the influence of impaired emotions and this can affect your work and relationships as well as your driving. It is therefore an important aspect of mental health that needs addressing. 

Ekaette  Udoekong

Gede Foundation Holds First Mental Health Camp

A very smart young man with a good job has a severe addiction to what he calls “certain drugs”. Even as I am talking to him, he tells me he does not have the willpower to desist from it. He tells me when he is tense, he believes that is the only way he can relax and be able to feel confident. He’s been doing this for over 5 years but he knows it is not good for him and he is ready to stop. He tells me he needs a ladder to help him out of the ditch he is in. His addiction, he says, has strained his relationships with his family, school as well as the community. They look at him as one of the bad guys in the community.

This was only one of the stories we heard yesterday at the Mental Health Camp (MHC) that Gede Foundation conducted at Chief Allahyayi Gambo’s palace in Mararaba. A considerable number of people came to the palace to get diagnosed by our psychiatrist, Dr. Omoyemi Osuhor. There were cases of psychosis, epilepsy as well as substance abuse. Most of the users (and carers for those that cannot take care of themselves) claimed that they do not have access to any medical intervention. They instead saw either traditional healers or faith healers. A few of the participants claimed to have become a little better after treatment but more often than not, they relapsed. The MHC was an eye opener not only to the number of sufferers in communities, but also to the types of treatment they have access to and how they respond to side effects. For instance, a lady aged 23 had a psychotic break in 2013. Her parents took her to the hospital where she received treatment and started getting better. However, she did not finish her medication as she claimed the medicine made her gain weight. Shortly after that, she fell sick again and sadly, was taken advantage of by some men. Up to now, she prefers sticking to traditional medication as this does not make her “fat”. Another lady narrated her son’s story. Her son was born 18 years ago and apart from minor complications at birth, everything else was OK. Her son progressed as well as any other child would; he crawled, teethed and walked on time. The parents became concerned when he was 3 and could not talk. They took him to the hospital and they found nothing wrong. Therefore, for over 12 years the young man has only seen traditional and faith healers. According to his mother, the young man cannot reason or speak well. He is usually on his own, mumbling to himself. The MHC was the first time he has seen a psychiatrist.

The Foundation is very grateful to the Chief of Mararaba for being kind enough to allow the Mental Health Camp to hold at his palace. The Chief was happy that Gede Foundation kept to its promise of actually doing something in his community. This is very promising as partnerships such as this one are an advantage in the community and they help in not only reaching more people but cementing faith NGO’s. 

This is the first in the series of MHC’s the Foundation will hold. The next one will be on Saturday, 30th July 2016 in Mpape at the Primary Health Centre (PHC). The opportunity to work with and help those living with mental illnesses and epilepsy is a passionate one for Gede as it is our goal to not only ensure they have access to the right treatment, but that they get back on their feet and are able to positively contribute to their communities. Furthermore, this opportunity allows for others who can help to assist the Foundation to reach more people.

Mental Health Camp!!!

Gede held its first ever Mental Health Camp yesterday at the chief's palace in Mararaba!!! 

Below are a few pictures of the event. 

Please check back later for more details. 

The Gede – Lafarge Africa Plc (UniCem) Tertiary Scholarship Programme

Three years ago, Gede Foundation’s Calabar Office was contracted by Lafarge Africa Plc (UniCem - United Cement) to manage its scholarship programme. The contract entailed paying yearly bursaries (which are provided by UniCem) to selected tertiary students from communities where UniCem operates. Over these three years, Gede was charged with mobilizing, mentoring, assessing academic performances of all awardees (both in secondary and tertiary institutions) and feeding back to both awardees’ communities and UniCem. In the first two years, over 20 tertiary and 130 secondary students were awarded bursaries (including books and fees/levies). 

The scholarship programme also included Community Health Outreach(CHO)  which is a special communityprogramme designed by Gede Foundation to involve the tertiary beneficiaries to reach out to young children within their communities with information on drugs and substance abuse, sanitation and life basic skills. One of the pioneer tertiary beneficiaries who has graduated and is currently engaged by STRINGS LTD to work with Lafagre Africa Plc (UniCem) shares his success story- 

Believe Francis

“My name is Believe Francis. I hail from Abiati village, one of the ten communities where Lafarge Africa Plc operates from in Akampa Local Government Area. I am a graduate of Economics from the University of Calabar, Calabar. The scholarship award was a big assistance and financial relief to me and my family as we had faced a number of challenges. I was very focused on my education but there were financial burdens. Therefore, the scholarship programme really relieved the burden that was upon my family.

Interestingly, the scholarship programme is teaching me me how to “give back” and this has been made easy through the community health outreaches and the mentorship from Gede Foundation. I am learning life skills, responsibility and time management. I am also learning how to be an innovative thinker and this has helped me in my current work with the company, I am very grateful to UniCem and Gede Foundation for their support” 

The number of Scholarship recipients for 2015/2016 is 20 and they will be involved in community health outreach. 

Scholarship recipients

Watch out as events unfold with the new set of awardees.