The Sunday News
Mashudu Mambo, Sunday News Reporter
THE Regional Psycho Social Support Initiative (Repssi) celebrated its 15th anniversary on Friday at Masiye Camp in Matobo District, with calls for communities to help people living with mental issues.
Speaking at the commemorations Repssi country director Mrs Sibusisiwe Marunda said as part of dealing with those with mental problems, the organisation has over the years targeted groups that deal with children with mental problems to equip them with th+e skill to handle the affected.
“We reach these children either directly or through partnerships or programmes with governments. We have developed a certificate programme on community-based workers with children and youths and this is an 18-month programme where we train anybody who works with children on how to mainstream psycho social support in their work and people we have trained come from different walks of life like health, judiciary, victim friendly unit, social services and teachers.
“In Zimbabwe we have so far produced 400 graduates for the certificate programme,” said Mrs Marunda.
She said they have trained more than 1 000 teachers and 3 600 child care workers in psycho-social care since they started.
“We are also working with ECD teachers and child caregivers in mainstreaming psycho-social care in early childhood development,” said Mrs Marunda
In Matobo District, Repssi has trained 35 nurses, 201 village health workers and 15 environmental health officials.
“Dealing with mental issues is not an easy task. Usually people focus on material things like food, clothing, schooling and overlook the fact that if the psycho-social aspect, the mental health aspect is not alright and thus the results of that material support would not be fruitful,” she said.
“It is difficult to talk about psycho-social support especially to people who have not been exposed to it especially in a situation where there are limited resources.”
Repssi was founded on 18 August 2002 by a group of 35 young men and women who saw the need to provide psycho-social support to the children, the young mothers and the pregnant adolescents.
