The Benedict Menni Foundation Awareness Day was held on 21 March 2012 in the “Comunidad Provincial” headquarters at C/ Vaquerías 7, Madrid to “guarantee the right to health, particularly mental health, in the 27 countries in which the Congregation is based, 21 of which are in the southern hemisphere.

Opening and greeting

The meeting began with the greeting from Madrid’s Provincial Superior, Mª Asunción Riopedre, who announced the forthcoming opening of the “San Benito Menni” Mental Health Centre in Bata (Equatorial Guinea), scheduled for 28 April. She was followed by Gema Romero, the Foundation Secretary, who read out the greeting from Sister Begoña Pérez, Foundation Director and President, which stressed our commitment to the most vulnerable, such as Africa’s mentally ill.

The day was coordinated by Lourdes Núñez, head of projects and grants for the Province of Madrid.

Paths of dignity

After the opening, the Benedict Menni Foundation’s “Paths of Dignity” documentary video was shown, which highlighted some very important facts such as that there are more than 400 million people worldwide with mental, neurological or other types of problems related to alcohol and drug abuse. It also outlined the Congregation’s commitment, particularly in the nine specialist centres in Africa, in which the sisters and collaborators try to restore health and dignity to mentally or intellectually disabled individuals.

The video showed us the reality of Africa and created feelings of compassion, solidarity and gratitude toward the Congregation and people involved in these projects.

Sister Mª Rosa Izquierdo, member of the Benedict Menni Foundation, then gave her presentation. She described why the Foundation was created, its goals, scope and projects it promotes. She stressed that it is a service that fulfils its hospitable vocation to the full because it strives to help those who work directly with the most needy.

“Mental health in Africa: the case of Equatorial Guinea”

The event coordinator presented Dr. Juan Gómez de Tojeiro, psychiatrist from the Ciempozuelos Care Complex (Madrid), who spoke about work on mental health in Equatorial Guinea to which he has devoted 18 months of the past two years of his life.

Dr. Gómez, through a consultancy belonging to the FRS Foundation, has carried out ground-breaking work in an African country: analysing, diagnosing and planning how to manage mental health throughout the region. In this study he has secured the commitment of the country’s health authorities and been supported by field workers for health care and promotion work, including our sisters. Since the Congregation’s establishment in Guinea in 1980 we have been tackling mental illness, culminating in the building of the Mental Health Centre in Bata.

His presentation is too long for this article, but we can sum up by saying that, apart from the statistical data, there is a clear lack of mental health policies and services in Guinea. The strategic plan shows special awareness of cultural situations, community participation, combating stigma and human rights protection. His presentation also included videos featuring local “players”: sisters, native workers and the sick.

He commented that the Government of Guinea is building two psychiatric hospitals in Malabo and Bata with, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, our new centre completing the care loop as a specialised service between the hospitals and primary care.

Dr. Gómez finished by stating that “investing in mental health in Africa is very cheap, as it only costs 100 CFA francs per person and year”; beyond his assertion though, we are convinced by his personal involvement and commitment to the project.

Testimony of volunteers

Three volunteers who participated in the Foundation’s International Volunteers Programme and a sister related their experiences.

Sister Mª Rosa presented the “Chronicles of a journey: Africa in the heart” in which she got to see several projects being run by the Congregation in developing countries. She says that they are like notes on the stave of hospitality. Their words and the images they project reflect a service to the poor and vulnerable full of devotion, commitment and joy. She added that contact with these realities “changes your heart”, engages you, creates communion.

Ana Izquierdo, clinical assistant from the Ciempozuelos Care Complex, served as a volunteer at the Angokong Health Centre in Ebibeyin (Equatorial Guinea). Her presentation, apart from describing the various activities in which she was involved, highlighted the richness of living with the sisters and experiencing a different culture to the West.

Inmaculada Ruíz, physiotherapist from the Purísima Concepción Foundation in Granada, worked as a volunteer in Mozambique at the Mahotas Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centre. She described her work with children and young people suffering from disability problems or mental illness. She highlighted the excellent human and technical care provided by the sisters and staff at the centre and showed us images of recovering children that revealed both their intellectual limitations and acute malnutrition.

Cristian Correa, nurse from the Sagrat Cor centre in Martorell (Barcelona), served as a volunteer in Ghana at the Benedict Menni Day Centre in Dompoase. He presented interesting facts on care for the mentally ill in Africa and described the day centre where he worked. It reflects the good level of employment achieved by the sick and commitment of the sisters looking after two patients who have lost their families or going to meet those that need them.

Lourdes Núñez asked participants a few questions. Before the experience, reasons for getting involved included broadening one’s horizons, discovering another reality and helping others. What prevails after returning is an enormous feeling of gratitude, an experience that absorbs you and changes your life. The most notable aspects are: health education to the population (Guinea), involvement of patient in own recovery (Ghana). Everyone is encouraged to repeat this experience.

Conclusion

Gema Romero, on behalf of SisterBegoña, thanked everyone for attending and brought the day to a close by saying: “everything we have seen and heard makes us feel closer to Africa and its people”.