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Remaining safe while helping lives

Remaining safe while helping lives

 Hello you,

I am Lisa, currently on MSc Global Mental Health at LSHTM & KCL for the 2017-18 academic year. I am a self-funded student trying to make both ends meet everyday.

My dream, as many know of you know it: change the world, which is the reason why I am on this MSc. I am currently working on reviewing an important document produced by a reputable international organisation that includes guidelines for mental health workers in Burkina Faso where the state of mental illness is concerning, both in terms of policy, regulation and resources.


Why Burkina Faso?

It all started with a beautiful love story. I do love this country and its people for their integrity and resilience as I have previously done some work with a local organisation “Eau de Bonne Arrivée" Click to see the blog  : building a cultural centre for kids who could not attend school or who were not interested in a general system. I have also conducted primary linguistic research about one of the main local language, which is Mooré as part of my undergraduate.

Recently, a lot of events happened in the country around the border with Mali as well as in the capital Ouagadougou. The safety has thus been restrained [More info ] and it has been advised against all but essential travel due to the recent attacks. The School thus requires me to do a 3-day training, which is quite expensive and unplanned to ensure of my safety while conducting the research. [£900]

This 3-day training includes: ballistic, self-defence, first aid and much more.  I have already attended a training for sexual aggression, which was fully funded by the school, unfortunately, the 3-day training is not funded at all.

However, I still believe it is highly important for me to go through that way as I wish to dedicate my future to work in areas afflicted by conflict as it is were mental health is the most neglected.

According to the Mental Health Atlas (WHO, 2014), in Burkina Faso, there are 0.7 mental health workers per 100,000 population & 0.05 psychiatrists per 100,000 population. Funds to treat severe mental disorders are directly coming from households and there is a very limited number of units and beds dedicated for mental health patients in the country. Mental Health is also very much stigmatised. Recently, in the North of the Country a young man was murdered because of his mental illness https://www.facebook.com/ouedraogo.saidou.58/posts/1646316178766361

The donations gathered on this page will go to the training in priority. If above £900 it will contribute to my research (accommodation - £350, transports, visa £80).

The training will truly push me toward other missions of this kind and probably more dangerous and I truly believe to have what is required to step that line, however I am in a very limited timeframe to make it happen right now, it is why I would need your help,

If you know me from younger, you know by heart that I have always wanted to change the world and take this route.

There is no health without mental health. We are all going through difficulties in high-income countries where resources are less scares than low and middle-income countries or conflict settings. So, let’s close our eyes and imagine the hardships people face everyday, and we are still very far from it.

Organizer

Lhyza Libertad
Organizer

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