KOSHISH has been providing emergency psychosocial support and care to those women who have been subjected to human rights violations due to their mental health condition and also to those who do not have access to quality psychosocial care due to low economic conditions. These women are reintegrated into their own families and communities after their recovery. The organization has been providing mental health care and psychosocial support through its short-term care center. The center has aimed to develop a model care service so that the government or non-government service providers could replicate the model service. This center will be operated until the government takes any concrete initiation to integrate mental health services into the general health system.
Projects under MHPSS during Emergency/Crisis
Overall objective : 1. Universal health coverage for people living with mental health conditions and psychosocial disability is ensured through accessible community based holistic rehabilitation services in Nepal. 2. The quality of life of marginalized women with mental health condition is improved.
Project Duration : 2020 January – 2023 March
Project location : Transit Care Centre, Lalitpur (Receiving cases from all over Nepal)
Target group : Direct: 300 Women and girls with mental health and psychosocial issues who have been locked up, chained and abandoned. Indirect: Family members, community people, political leaders, community leaders
Duration: March 2021 to December 2021
Objectives:
- To address mental health and psychosocial needs prevalent in COVID- 19 pandemic through community engagement, partnership & empowerment
- To collaborate with local government for providing immediate mental health and psychosocial support in COVID-19 situation that enables existing support system
- To mobilize communities for reducing stigma associated with COVID 19 and link with health and social protection services
- To support local government to integrate mental health into existing health/protection system
- ( This objective has been proposed to ensure that local government own the project and it will continue to design intervention and allocate budget for mental health).
Project Location:
- Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur
- Suryabinayak Municipality, Bhaktapur
- Bhaktapure Municipality, Bhaktapur
- Panchkhal Municipality, Kavrepalanchowk
- Panauti Municipality, Kavrepalanchowk-
Beneficiaries:
- Persons with mental health condition and psychosocial disability
- COVID-19 affected population
Stakeholders:
- Local Government Representatives and Authorities
- Female Community Health Volunteers and Community Volunteers
- Teachers, Parents and Students
- Civil Society Organizations
- Organizations of Persons with Disability
- Local Community Based Organizations (CBOs)
- Health Service Providers
Partner: WHO
Duration: 1 Year (07/2021to 06/2022 )
Objectives:
- To increase the accessibility of essential psycho-social and mental health support to women, youth, and excluded groups.
- To provide immediate cash, food and non-food relief support to women and excluded groups at higher risk of experiencing psycho-social and mental health issues.
- To increase the availability of information and awareness of psycho-social and mental well-being, help-seeking, prevention and self-care.
- To strengthen advocacy with key stakeholders for an effective response to emerging psychosocial and mental health issues in Nepal.
Project Location:
Province-2: Laxminiya Municipality, Nagarain Municipality of Dhanusha district, Mirchaiya Municipality, Kalyanpur Municipality of Siraha district
Bagmati Province: Madi Municipality, Ratnagar Municipality of Chitwan district
Bagmati Municipality, Manahari Municipality of Makwanpur district
SuduPaschim Province: Kailari Rural Municipality, Gauriganga Municipality of Kailali district, Krishnapur Municipality, Punarbas Municipality of Kanchanpur district
Beneficiaries:
- Women, Youths , Excluded Groups
- Persons with psychosocial problem and psychosocial disability
- Population affected with COVID and its Impact
- Persons with psychosocial issues, in need of emergency psycho social treatment and rehabilitation support,
- Vulnerable groups are facing difficulties to manage basic necessities of life.
- LGBTIQ+ groups who are especially reliant on daily wages
Stakeholders:
- Government stake holders and Local Government Units
- Female Community Health Volunteers and Community Volunteers (FCHVs)
- Educational Institutions (Teachers, Parents and Students)
- Organizations working for rights of excluded communities (LGBTIQ+ groups)
- Safe House, Mid-term Shelter homes
- One Stop Crisis Management Centre (OCMCs)
- Health Service Providers (District Hospitals
- Organizations of Persons with Disability
- Local Organizations and groups (mother’s group, adolescent groups, women cooperatives, etc)
Partner: UN Women
Consortium Partner: KOSHISH, Mitini Nepal, Youth Thinkers’ Society
Reintegration of recovered persons into their families/community
Out of 58 participants enrolled for residential psycho-social support, 44 were reintegrated. Among them, 39 were reintegrated in their own family while five were reintegrated in community-based organizations for long term support.
Follow up and Psychoeducation
During phone follow up a standard checklist is used which consists of questions on status of mental health condition of the participant, attitude of family & community, engagement in household & community activities, taking of medicines and so on. The result from the information collected in the checklist showed that the majority of the 44 participants’ (i.e., 21 of them), mental health condition was improving followed by satisfactory mental health condition of 13 participants while that of 10 participants’ mental health condition was found to be very satisfactory.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic the psycho-education program could not be conducted as planned. However, after the lockdown was lifted some events of psychoeducation were conducted in the community. In total, 4 events of psychoeducation were conducted in which 51 community people (21 male & 30 female) were given orientation on mental health and psychosocial support. The family members of the participants who visited the transit home were also provided with psychoeducation. In total 123 (75 male and 48 female) family members of the participants were given psychoeducation. KOSHISH has been providing family counseling to the family members who visit the transit home. In total family counseling has been provided to 86 (51 male & 35 female) family members of the participants. It has helped create a supportive environment for the participants after reintegration.
Key Achievements of the Project:
- 53 people with psycho social problems received counselling service with one person rescue from Bagmati province.
- 295 individuals access essential relief support which includes food and non-food items.
- An organization working for rights of LGBTIQ access to relief support.
- 50 individuals from LGBTIQ community received cash based support.
- A radio program aired disseminating awareness on suicide prevention and our role and community member.
- A person with severe psycho social problem rescued from Manahari Municipality, Makwanpur to transit home of KOSHISH. The person is supported with necessary treatment, therapy along with shelter support.
