We make available the newsletter Contigo October 2020, so you can read it in full. Don’t miss it! Read full newsletter Contigo October 2020.
We leave you an infomercial about the Benito Menni Foundation Projects 2020 and 2021.
The Fundación Benito Menni (FBM), a charitable foundation run by the Sisters Hospitallers, works to support projects presented by the institution’s centres in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
At the meeting held in December 2019, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees decided which projects would be included in its Action Plan for the current year. In total, it is currently developing over 30 projects in 10 countries.
The projects on which the Foundation is currently working are divided into different areas, but all of them pursue the common aim of treating people holistically, ensuring the beneficiaries can get access to healthcare, especially mental healthcare, and quality education, thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are reflected in the 2030 Agenda promoted by the United Nations.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the projects are being adapted to ensure the health and safety of the people working on them, as well as the beneficiaries. Some of them are described below, by area of action
Mobile Mental Health Consultations: “Antennas”:
According to the figures provided by our Centres in Africa, mental health consultations are increasing every day in the different countries around the continent where the Sisters Hospitallers are working.
In most cases, patients have difficulty travelling from their home to the referred Mental Health Centre, either for physical reasons, due to long distances, or for economic and social reasons. For this reason, after studying the local and regional situation, projects have been promoted that foster the creation of mobile health teams or “antennas”, taking the mental healthcare provided by the Sisters Hospitallers from our Centres to areas beyond the reach of healthcare facilities to meet the needs of the population.
For example, in Cameroon, support is currently being provided to the Ayos and Ebolowa ‘antennas’ so that people living far from the urban centre can receive mental healthcare and training. This is possible thanks to the collaboration of Pamplona City Council (Spain). This project includes the regular journeys made by the team from the Yaoundé Hospitaller Centre (Cameroon) to the towns of Ayos and Ebolowa; medical consultations and the delivery of medicines to people with mental illness; follow-ups on treatment in coordination with the nearest facility; as well as raising awareness of mental health issues, mainly aimed at families, related to mental health and illness.
In Togo, they are developing a project entitled “For greater socio-family integration: mental healthcare and awareness in Mango and Cinkassé”, with the aim of bringing mental health facilities closer to sectors of the population that could not otherwise be treated, due to the geographical distance between their place of residence and the nearest mental health centres. This project is supported by the Fundación Roviralta.
Rehabilitation of people with mental illness living on the streets
The projects included in this line of action offer mental health care and provide medicines and food to people living on the streets who are suffering from this illness. The first task involves detecting and approaching homeless people, providing assistance so that they can follow mental health treatment, building bridges to foster integration and promoting access to existing community resources. A solar energy project is also being developed at the ‘Telema’ mental health centre (DRC), thanks to the support of Fundación Eki and África Directo.
Support is also being provided to build a Mental Health Centre in Dapalong, Togo, and for a project entitled “Improving the care of people with marginalised mental illness” at the Divine Mercy Family Home in the Philippines, thanks to the collaboration of the Fundación Hermanos Iraizoz.
Improvement of mental healthcare conditions
The initiatives included in this line of activity aim to provide support to health centres and shelters for people with mental illness, so that they can offer a higher level of care. They also work to promote the well-being of patients and improve their mental health. In particular, these projects support the construction of essential infrastructures such as: procuring health equipment and paying for basic services at centres run by the Sisters Hospitallers.
In this line of activity, work has begun on a project entitled “Energy to Heal: procurement and installation of solar power at the `Telema’ mental health centre” (DRC), thanks to the support of Fundación Eki and África Directo.
Support is also being provided to build a Mental Health Centre in Dapalong, Togo, and for a project entitled “Improving the care of people with marginalised mental illness” at the Divine Mercy Family Home in the Philippines, thanks to the collaboration of the Fundación Hermanos Iraizoz.
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