Educational Program

In Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country still coping with the catastrophic effects of a major earthquake in 2010, there are currently fewer than 30 psychiatrists for more than 10 million people — a population with widespread psychosocial and psychiatric issues.  “Physical and psychological violence are frequent in a child’s life in Haiti — a problem exacerbated by extreme poverty,” says Yves Lecomte, a psychologist and professor at the University of Quebec-TELUQ. He leads a Grand Challenges Canada project to create a network of Haitian community services and caregivers

Promoting mental health, preventing illness and finding care for children in Kenya are of significant importance. This project will adapt and adopt a World Health Organization (WHO) model to enhance health promotion, prevent mental illness and develop appropriate pathways to care that will overcome the unique challenges of working in Kenya.

24 million people in Indonesia (10% of the total population) is above 60 years of age and at risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Public awareness and understanding about AD is low. A fundamental lack geriatricians and decent elderly care further aggravate the threat of the disease.   OnTrackMedia Indonesia (OTMI) will launch an integrated awareness campaign on Alzheimer’s disease sensitizing the public with key messages through social and conventional media, learning activities with experts and experienced caregivers, and media engagement.

Nodding syndrome has affected thousands of children and adolescents in northern Uganda and other situations of adversity. Associated mental health problems increase the burden of living with the illness for both patients and their families. This intervention aims at improving family based care and overall health for the affected communities.

A multi-dimensional package of interventions, combining social and clinical care, will be delivered through village mental health workers in Thiruporur Block, Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu.  The workers will offer counselling in settings appropriate to circumstances, help mental health patients find income-generating activities and access disability allowances and other social entitlements, and initiate activities in response to specific community needs (e.g. provide counselling services from home, start a daycare centre).

The purpose of ""Mental Health Beyond Facilities"(mhBeF) is to develop and implement a sustainable, holistic community based model of care for people with mental disorders. The Mental Health Beyond Facilities Project (mhBeF) aims to provide a comprehensive community based mental health services package. It will be implemented in Uganda, Nepal and Liberia. If successful, people with severe mental disorders will lead symptom free, stigma free, economically productive lives.

Although Rwanda boasts a progressive health policy environment, public sector funding for mental health care is limited. There are very few psychiatric resources in the country, leaving limited capacity to provide services at the community level, where the burden of mental illness is most severe. This can lead to loss of productivity and general economic insecurity.

About 45% of 800,000 citizens of the Union of Comoros live below the poverty line.

Ghana has developed Continuous Quality Improvement methods (CQI), which are helping to reduce child mortality and other health problems.

The study will be conducted in Sangath, India. Most children with neuro-developmental disabilities in developing countries have limited access to evidence-based strategies to address their impairments. INFORM will create an mHealth platform, to deliver best practices by community health workers, providing a scalable method to provide care for children with impairments in resource poor settings.