Adolescents (10–19 years) face challenges or different versions of the same struggles that have affected teens for decades. Bullying, peer pressure, body shaming, negative self-perception, drug abuse but to mention but a few, making it difficult for them to navigate in their daily lives.
SGBV on these groups has risen in the years leading to Teen pregnancies, Child marriages, FGM, homelessness etc. as Most have reported the perpetrators being the people they know and trusted. They either end up pregnant, or flee from their homes to hide from their molesters for fear of being silenced and the shame their family believe they have been subjected to. Most of them have been blamed while Some abandoned teenagers have gone through the wrath of physical abuse, abandonment due to poverty, mental illnesses, special needs or caregivers are on drugs abuse or excessive alcohol that they barely cater for their young ones needs. Some are forced to opt for prostitution to cater for needs like sanitary towels a trend that rose during the pandemic. This is to mention but a few cases.
These kinds of challenges make these groups of young people very vulnerable to Mental Health challenges with an approximation of 3000% compared to other teenagers. Teenagers handle diversities differently; drug abuse, unhealthy sexual behaviours and other negative coping mechanism.
Promotion of Mental Health and well-being helps these adolescents to build resilience, hope, and empowerment to help them cope well, heal and restore their esteem.
Mending Minds Foundation implements Programmes in different settings to ensure these teenagers wellbeing is priority. These groups are overlooked when it comes to Mental Health needs and that is why we have spearheaded engagements in rescue centres , Children’s homes, safe houses and most affected communities to create safe therapeutic spaces and empathy to understand these groups and their traumatic events to enable the troubled young people to feel secure and safe to open up to begin a healing process. Mental Health is important for them to thrive and be able to fully function in adulthood.
Mending Minds Foundation has engaged Gender Based-Violence survivors in different capacities. These experiences have a detrimental effect on individuals and their families. Study shows 1 in 3 women will encounter sexual violence in their lifetime .50% of children living in a family with violence or abuse have a high risk of developing Mental Health difficulties i.e. childhood trauma. Every year millions of children are sexually abused. Statistics also indicate that Kenya has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world whereas these experiences are not limited to any other sexual orientation.
The risk of developing depression, PTSD, substance use issues, or becoming suicidal is 3 to 5 times higher for women who had experienced violence. Shelters and transition houses have reported that over half of women suffer from major depression and over 33% suffer from PTSD. The impact of GBV on Mental Health is critical; it involves physical and psychological effects which can have a long-term negative effect on the victims.
This Programme was implemented to offer Mental Health support and awareness, suicide prevention empowerment and any other support needs for these groups in a multi sectoral setting.
Promotion of mental health and well-being will help GBV survivors in building resilience is a key to save many lives
Care givers play a major role in the society yet their Mental Health needs are always overlooked. An estimated 3 million people aged 18 and older provide unpaid assistance and support to children with special needs and adults with disabilities who live in the community.
30 to 40% of disabled caregivers suffer from depression and emotional stress Higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health effects are common among family members who care for special needs child or disabled adult.
Estimates also show that between 40 to 70% of caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression, with approximately one quarter to one half of these caregivers meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depression with higher levels of clinical depression attributed to people caring for disabled individuals.
Some 16% of caregivers feel emotionally strained and 26% say taking care of the care recipient is hard on them emotionally. An additional 13% of caregivers feel frustrated with the lack of progress made with the care recipient.
Caregiving can also result in feeling a loss of self-identity, lower levels of self-esteem, constant worry, or feelings of uncertainty.
As a response to increased stress, caregivers are shown to have increased alcohol and other substance use. Several studies have shown that caregivers use prescription and psychotropic drugs more than non-caregivers.
Mending Minds Foundation puts caregivers a priority when it comes to Mental Health awareness, support and empowerment. We have engaged caregivers of children with special needs, reforming street kids etc. for Mental Health support. This Programme has positively impacted these groups.
The Program helps to prevent and manage the effects of caregiving where multisectoral suicide prevention programs, safe, secure and positive psychological environments have been effective.
We are looking forward to support caregivers more by offering affordable/free and accessible Mental Health support, Medical support and empowerment as tough economic times have become a challenge for some caregivers. Mental Health awareness training Programmes are also part of the Programmes to make bigger impact.
Mental Health problems affect around 1in 6 children which include depression, anxiety and conduct disorder (a type of behavioral problem) and are often a direct response to what is happening in their lives.
75% of Mental Health problems start before the age of 24. Surprisingly children and young people who experience a Mental Health problem aren’t getting the help they need. This program involves, school-based intervention, School-based prevention programs for children and young adolescents, One-to-one, group-delivered, or self-guided interventions and Mental Health trainings, talks and events to create awareness and safe spaces for Mental Health conversations.
Mending Minds Foundation has worked with Children and Young People tirelessly in awareness Programmes among other Mental Health activities to promote Mental Wellbeing.
Help us reach more children and young people to reduce Suicide risks, behavioral change, create Mental Health awareness and promote Wellbeing.
Vulnerable groups are prone to Mental Health problems because of diverse socioeconomic status. These groups include; marginalised communities, victims of rape, people with disabilities, Victims of Gender-based violence, people with mental illnesses, people with chronic diseases, people with HIV, people with diverse sexual orientation and many others.
Intersectionality is a theory based on the idea that an individual may be more vulnerable to being subjected to negative social attitudes and practices if they possess multiple, overlapping characteristics of difference. Mending Minds Foundation works hand in hand with these groups to ensure inclusion and diversity is embraced and their Mental Health is priority to build resilience, acceptance and empowerment. These groups need constant reassurance, not be judged/blamed by what they went or are going through or who they are. Intersectional groups have fallen in homicides, GBV, rejection and suicide. We are building strong communities through psychosocial support, Mental Health awareness trainings, Suicide prevention and empowerment by facilitating Post-Traumatic growth [PTG] in different circumstances to nurture cognitive reappraisal and developing effective coping strategies in these communities.
Mental Health at workplace is being adopted in many organizations as a strategy plan. Implementation of Leadership commitment, Mental Health awareness, supportive management, employee empowerment and resource promotion.
Employees who are back in the workplace are learning to navigate new requirements and if they are/were working from home, they may be facing feelings of isolation and loneliness, while others are in toxic workplaces, work pressure and deliverables making depression, anxiety and substance abuse rise.
Now more than ever, employers must support their employees by raising awareness on Mental Health through trainings, Suicide Prevention and also guide them to seek help without shame. Building a strong workforce by creating safe spaces for Mental Health conversations is critical to also improve employee well-being, retention and productivity.
Employees Mental Health should be given higher priority, the challenge is have you as an employer made a culture shift when it comes to Mental Health at the workplace?
Mending Minds Foundation is here for you to ensure your employees manage emotions, have positive coping mechanisms, stress management understand warning signs of Mental Health difficulties, suicide prevention among other topics to ensure struggling employees get help if need be to build a strong workforce with high productivity.
In this programme, Corporates adopt marginalized and vulnerable communities by signing up for the Mental Health Awareness trainings. As Organizations grow through Mental Health awareness programme and support, you equally support communities that we have adopted for the Mental Health Programmes.
In this programme, Corporates adopt marginalized and vulnerable communities by signing up for the Mental Health Awareness trainings. As Organizations grow through Mental Health awareness programme and support, you equally support communities that we have adopted for the Mental Health Programmes.
Mental Health also corelates with socioeconomic factors and that is why Mending Minds Foundation plays a major role when it comes to empowerment. We empower diverse vulnerable communities through our Mental Health Programmes by meeting diverse needs for different communities. Scholarships, mentorship, SRHR services, basic needs, and so much more.
Other than hard economic factors, Mental illness was the third largest cause of homelessness for single adults and mental illness was mentioned by homeless families as one of the top three causes of homelessness.
25 % of the Kenyan homeless are seriously mentally ill at any given point in time while Forty-five percent of the homeless had a mental illness. Research shows at any one time, at least 60 000 families, with between 140 000 and 170 000 children, are defined as homeless by local authorities. In addition, the number of single homeless teenagers living on the streets is increasing, as is the number of homeless families living with friends and relatives or in squats.
More would be labeled homeless if these were annual counts rather than point-in-time counts.
Mending Minds Foundation involves local community and rehabilitation centers for inclusion, consideration and integration for these families.
Campaigns tailored to local needs, health fairs and other community-based Mental Health promotion events, suicide prevention, drug abuse and outreach initiatives in a multisectoral approach is our strategy.
Our reach 4000+
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