Victoria de Menil

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Mental Health and Development Feasibility of the
BasicNeeds Model in Ethiopia

• Victoria de Menil
• International Policy Coordinator
• Presentation to Edinburgh University
• International Development Working Group
• 25 November 2008
• Edinburgh

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Outline
Introducing BasicNeeds
1 Introducing the work of BasicNeeds
2 Feasibility of BasicNeeds in Ethiopia
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Our Purpose
Introducing BasicNeeds
To enable people with mental illness or
epilepsy to live and work successfully in their
communities
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The Need Human Rights Poverty
Introducing BasicNeeds
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Model for Mental Health Development
Introducing BasicNeeds
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Where We Work
Introducing BasicNeeds
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Our Participants
Introducing BasicNeeds

• Men
• Women
• Children
• Carers

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Awolus Story
Introducing BasicNeeds
Being ill My sickness affected many people. In
the first place, it put me out of work, which
seriously affected my familys income. It also
affected farmers and traders who depended on my
services. And it affected me. No man deserves
this sickness. It disgraces and humiliates you.
If you dont have a strong heart, you may
contemplate harming yourself, even ending your
life. Searching for a cure Our neighbours were
concerned and recommended many traditional
healers to consult for treatment. We consulted
about ten traditional healers in all. Some of
them took birds while others took goats and
sheep, or cash. My search for a cure ended thanks
to BasicNeeds, when we were able to see a
specialist at the Gushiegu Hospital. I am still
on medication and will continue so long as the
drug is available. Getting back to work Thanks
to the treatment, I have gone back to work.
Operating a tractor is what I do for a living. I
am a professional in that sense. In the dry
season, when there is less farming work, I hunt
antelopes, quails and the like. I get a lot of
satisfaction from that too. And it is good
exercise!
Had it not been for your intervention, things
would be different for me. It came at the right
time. And your work with me did not end with the
doctor you brought. Tamimu the community worker
constantly visits me and that is even more
encouraging. He motivates me to fight the
illness. And, I tell you, I think I am through
with it!
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Growth 2003-2013
IntroducingBasicNeeds
54,076 people with mental illness or epilepsy as
of Dec 2007
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Ethiopian context
BN in Ethiopia
Development Statistics 220 per capita annual
income 52 years life expectancy 169/177 Human
Development Index rank 79 million population
Mental Health Context 1 mental hospital (350
beds) 34 psychiatrists 180 psychiatric nurses No
active mental health policy. Health Sector
Development Programme (HSDP) excludes mental
health.
Sources World Bank, UNDP, Personal Communication
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BasicNeeds Feasibility Process
BN in Ethiopia

• Identification of partners
• Site visit
• Funding proposal

Chris Underhill, Founder Director of BasicNeeds
Tina Ntulo (right), BasicNeeds Director for New
Initiatives
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1. Identifying Partners in Ethiopia
BN in Ethiopia

• Ministry of Health and the Amanuel Mental Health
  Hospital
• National Initiative for Mental Health in Ethiopia
  
• Mental Health Society of Ethiopia - Aemiro Tiena
  Kibikabie Mahber Ethiopia (ATKME)
• St. Pauls Medical Centre
• Carter Centre

Top Azeb Mesfin, First Lady, patron of National
Initiative for Mental Health
Bottom Mental
Health Society of Ethiopia
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2. Site-Visit to Addis
BN in Ethiopia
Occasion African Psychiatric Association
Allied Professions conference, April 2006

• Merat Kebede, National Initiative
  of Mental Health
• Eyessus Zafu, Mental Health Society
• Dr Mesfin,
  St. Pauls Medical Centre
• Grace Kalimugogo, African Union Acting
  Director for Social Affairs

Tina Ntulo consulting a participant, Ghana
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3. Proposal for work in Ethiopia
BN in Ethiopia

• Purpose
• To introduce mental health and development to
  partners
• To develop a larger programme to widely integrate
  participants in their communities

Budget 50,000 for 18 months

• Activities
• Training workshops on mental health and
  development
• Consultation meetings with people affected by
  mental illness or epilepsy
• Set up community mental health clinics in the
  kebele health stations
• Literature research into local policy and
  additional partners

Location Addis low-income settlements
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Relevance to Ethiopian Health Strategy
BN in Ethiopia
Alignment with Targets of HSDP a) Health service
delivery and quality of care b) Disease
prevention and control c) Family health
service d) Hygiene and environmental health
services e) Delivery of quality health care f)
Health facility expansion and rehabilitation g)
Human resource development h) Pharmaceutical
services i) Information, education and
communication (IEC) j) Health management and
information systems
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Relevance to Scottish Development
BN in Ethiopia

• Alignment with Key Principles
• Contribute to MDGs and poverty reduction
• Complement UK international development policy
  (DfID)
• Build on existing links between Scotland and
  developing countries

Reference Miranda J and Patel V. Achieving the
Millennium Development Goals Does Mental Health
Play a Role? Policy Forum 2005, v2 (10)
www.plosmedicine.org
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Relevance to Scottish Development
BN in Ethiopia
Alignment with Activity Strands Geographic
Priorities
Develop NGO capacity
Assist in international crises
Provide awareness in Scotland

• BasicNeeds Projects
• Ethiopia
• Malawi
• Sri Lanka

• Scottish Priorities
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Malawi
• Tsunami affected areas

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Thank you!
BN in Ethiopia
For more information www.basicneeds.org victoria.
demenil_at_basicneeds.org www.mhse.org
info_at_mhse.org meratkebede_at_yahoo.com
Jemima Kwankyiwa, Accra Ghana