Thanks very much Neil for your e-mail. [ https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/barriers-and-facilitators-implementatio... ]
Let me share a little story.
Since the 27th of November 2021 I volunteer as a clinical psychologist in a community based project aimed at searching for persons with a mental health condition who are wandering in the town of Yaoundé and bringing them to the
hospital for mental health Care. This initiative is supported by the Ministry of public health in collaboration with the Communauté Urbaine de Yaoundé.
We work in the "love village". A space in the psychiatric services of the Hôpital Jamot. The love village is solely dedicated to these persons. There they have all of their basic needs met and as well their mental health Care taken care of. There are as from today, 109 persons with a mental illness which where taken from the streets wandering in the love village.
The multidisciplinary team consists of : clinical psychologists, mental health nurses, nurses, cleaners, watch men, and the only psychiatrist who is the general coordinator of the village.
The five teams work in such a way that they support each other. There are teams that work in the day and teams that work at night.
It is a fantastic experience and I am learning a lot since this is the very first time mental health professionals work Together in a hospital setting for this type of population. It is clear as I move along and reflect on what is been done that there are barriers and facilitators which are affecting our work. This article will enable me think more deeply into the issue.
Thanks very much Neil.
Best wishes,
Didier
HIFA profile: Didier Demassosso is a mental health practitioner, Consultant (WHO , MoPH Cameroon...), Mental health advocate , Youth advocate with 10 years experience in mental health development in Cameroon. He is also a health communicator and educationist. HIFA Country Representative For Cameroon/ HIFA Country Representative of the year 2014 / Regional Coordinator for Africa. He also currently volunteers for the Mental Health Innovation Network Africa as Knowledge Exchange Assistant. http://www.hifa.org/people/country-representatives/map
http://www.hifa.org/support/members/didier
Email: didier.demassosso AT gmail.com
