MENTAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM : TRAINING
Two weeks of intensive courses and discussions on the theme that is worthwhile : « Mental Health».
Africa CDC through it’s #MentalHealthLeadershipProgramme (MHLP) in collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe organized a training (from 24 th March 2025 to 4 April 2025) and support several public health professionals from African Union Member States. The aim is to prepare leaders to understand and address mental health on the continent through a public health and human rights lens. Our leader @PacifiqueNDUWIMANA got a chance to be among participants.
It’s a unique training given by outstanding Professors from the University of Zimbabwe, Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
See the overview of the topics covered during this first week :
- An introduction to the social determinants of mental health
- What is mental health and what are mental disorders ?
- Packages of care for mental health conditions in low resource settings – mhGAP
- Designing, implementing and evaluating programmes
- Mental health law, legislation, ethics and rights
- Lived experience and human rights
- Mental health policy development
- Developing an integrated mental service in low resource settings
- Stigma + advocacy
- Development of community-based psychiatric services: Task shifting/Task sharing (example of the Friendship Bench)
- Leadership in health: Principles and practical applications
- Communication and advocacy skills
- Mental health promotion and prevention
- Mental health and psychological support: Emergencies and climate change planning for psychosocial services
- Mental health for special populations and advocacy: Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH), the Elderly, People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), and mental health services in prisons
- Health system financing
- Sustainable financing for mental health
- The research journey
- Presentation of project and program proposals
A call to action was summarized by Dr Fiona Makoni, Dean of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe: "If not Me, then Who? And if not Now, Then When?"
