Success Stories: Pujehun’s Maternal Mental Health Program
We’re excited to share inspiring stories and testimonials coming from our Maternal Mental Health Program in Pujehun. Together we’re making a huge difference in the lives of children and mothers. To maintain confidentiality, we have changed names.
Story of a teenage girl
In her junior year of secondary school, Dee (not real name) became pregnant and dropped out of school. Even though the father acknowledged the baby was his, he abandoned Dee for other girls. It was worsened by the psychological torture and neglect Dee received from him and community members. After giving birth she began displaying signs of Postpartum Depression (PD). Before meeting with the counselor, she was expecting financial support from the program, but as the intervention progressed she realized that her well being was even more important than money. It could serve as a springboard to meet her livelihood needs and continue to support her baby even after the program was finished. At the moment she is engaged in small-scale farming and is doing well. She confessed that with this progress, the guy has started coming around again. “I cannot be fooled a second time” she exclaimed.
Story of an elderly grandmother
A grandmother of twins (a boy and a girl) became the caregiver of the children after her daughter died as a result of PD. The grandmother also suffered from PD as a young mother and was suffering from depression after the loss of her daughter. She came to the malnutrition clinic because the twins were not doing well. That’s where she met the counselors. She has reported after the counseling her resilience and self-worth have been restored. She told the team that her daughter would not have died if such intervention had been in existence. At the moment she is doing fine in caring for the children – she testified “… this is better than money, even though my daughter has passed away, I am now motivated to face life and raise my grandchildren to the best of my ability, thanks to the intervention”.
Story of a staff member
A male team member was listening to some of the sessions provided by the counselors. He shared that he secretly attempted to practice some of the key principles communicated during the sessions. The impact was so positive that he later confessed to the team that his home is doing well and according to his words “I have never seen my wife as beautiful as I see her now”.
We are so grateful to our local team for their life-changing work. They can’t do this work without your continued support.
Thank you for your generosity!
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