Impact Update: Maternal Mental Health Pilot is Demonstrating Great Results
We’re very excited to share how your generous support is having a huge impact for women and children in Sierra Leone. With funds raised through the Kilimanjaro Charity Climb, we launched the first maternal mental health program to prevent severe malnutrition. In less than a year, we have accomplished a lot!
Early results show:
Mothers have improved mental and physical well being
Mothers have better greater confidence and skills to overcome challenges
Mothers are engaging in new small-scale businesses to support livelihoods
Young mothers have returned to school
Mothers have a stronger community support network to sustain and continue progress
Mothers report their children are happier and healthier!
Program Details:
Training Curriculum Development: In partnership with The Mental Health Coalition – Sierra Leone (MHC – SL) and Project Peanut Butter (PPB) we developed a culturally relevant 36-page pictorial manual on identifying and managing postpartum depression. This manual was pretested and endorsed by the government to train counselors.
Training Counselors: On May 24-25th 20 motivated individuals with diverse academic backgrounds, including social workers, nurses, and teachers were trained on the new curriculum. Four exceptional female counselors were selected to launch the program in the Pujehun district alongside the malnutrition treatment clinics. Counselors receive on-going mentoring and oversight by an experienced licensed psychologist.
The program has three key phases:
Screening: Counselors use the screening tool to identify signs of postpartum depression
Counseling: Women are supported to identify the underlying causes of their problems and understand how these issues affect their personal well-being, family dynamics, and the broader community. Through these sessions they build confidence and develop strategies to overcome challenges.
Integration: Two Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been established by and for women who have recovered from their challenges and are supporting each other to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the counseling sessions through mutual support.
We are so grateful to have each of you on this journey with us as we develop a holistic approach to preventing severe acute malnutrition by supporting mothers.
To help us expand this program
