The objective of the project is building two 1,073 metre buildings, meant for consultations, medical tests, specialised pharmacy, primary care and therapeutic workshops, as well as a place to care for the ill who are homeless

Building this new health centre will make it possible to approach mental illness with a single and comprehensive approach, from prevention to social and family reintegration. It will have two sections and a place to care for the ill who are homeless. Services like consultations, workshops, clinical analysis, specialised pharmacy and primary care will complement its care services.

Specific objectives

The objectives of this social psychiatry project are:

• To promote and encourage access to mental health care for everyone in the western area of Kinshasa.
• To offer a service (either emergency or continuous care) resulting in the opportunity to benefit from receiving health care and buying medicines at a low cost.
• To encourage integral recovery, seeking psychological balance and better social adaptation through listening, dialogue and communication.
• To promote mental health awareness campaigns for families, institutions (parishes, etc.) and the population in general, in order to generate positive reactions to people with this illness.

OPERATIONAL CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently in a very difficult socio-economic situation. Despite its strengths in terms of national development, the country suffers constant plundering of its resources. The living conditions of the people are deteriorating, a fact that contributes even more to triggering a spiral of urban poverty nationwide. About 88 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

In Africa, besides being a taboo subject, mental illness is a source of shame. The ill are victims of marginalisation, discrimination and abandonment. There are insufficient structures and human resources specialised in mental health, a lack of permanent training for doctors and nurses in this speciality and little collaboration between the different sectors involved in the care of these patients.

This social reality together with urgent mental health care needs make it necessary to develop this project.