Mental Health and Psychosocial Care programme

This programme consists of two parts, including the ‘Lisanga project’ (funded by PSO) and the ‘Lubero project’ (funded by the Dutch government under MFSII).

History of the programme
This programme initially started with the ‘Mbila Project’. The Mbila Project worked with poor families in the suburbs of Kinshasa, the capital of Congo. The destruction of family ties and social networks - as a result of continuing violence and impunity – has led to insecurity and violence in especially Masina, a large suburb of Kinshasa with more than 600,000 inhabitants. In 2003, the Mbila Project started to offer training courses in order to create more ‘animateurs communautaires’ (community volunteers), boosted by the establishment of the Mbila Centre d’ Ecoute.

Within five years the project shifted from psychosocial service provider to capacity builder. The experience of the first years resulted in a number of training manuals that have been disseminated by a motivated staff of community volunteers. Partnering local community–based organizations learned how to cooperate effectively and complementary. Clients and families, primary project beneficiaries, developed their capacity in learning to use their own problem solving capacity. Health workers involved in the care for clients with mental health problems, learned about the attribution of different approaches for provision of health services. The Mbila project is now getting a follow up under the so called ‘Lisanga Project’  

The Lisanga project
The Association pour des Project PsychoSociaux (APPS), developed a sustainable community-based network for psychosocial support for marginalized children, adolescents and their families. In collaboration with APPS, HealthNet TPO aims to strengthen social cohesion among community members and to integrate care for adolescent drug abusers and their families. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of seven health zones in Ndjili District and to improve the social services of the municipalities of Masina, Ndjili and Kimbanseke (nearly two million inhabitants). The interventions enhance technical capabilities and cooperation between community groups and municipalities in order to provide an appropriate response to adolescents with problems.

As a result of the programme, several government authority levels collaborate to manage and coordinate community development action that addresses the problems of abandoned street youth, substance abuse and loss of social fabric among families due to poverty. Community Development Committees are being set up to implement interventions provided by primary health services and local civil society organizations. In 2010, HealthNet TPO also further strengthened the expertise of partner APPS as a strong capacity building organization in a wider network.

The Lubero project
Under the MFSII programme. HealthNet TPO is currently still defining the exact activities that will take place in DR Congo. Due to limited funds there will be a limited presence and activities will take place in close cooperation with ZOA-Refugee Care. The programme will take place in Lubero in the North Kivu province and will focus both on community system strengthening and health system strengthening.

A HealthNet TPO staff member recently visited Lubero to explore the exact needs, possibilities and partnerships. Specific objectives of this mission were:

• Inform the Provincial Health Authorities about HealthNet TPO’s plans for mental health;
• Introduce the HealthNet TPO DCR officer;
• Assess partnership possibilities, including with the Zonal Health Authorities and the National Mental Health Department;
• Explore complementarily options with collaborating partners;
• Develop an action plan for mental health and community systems strengthening activities under MFSII in DR Congo that is feasible within the available budget.

The action plan is currently being developed, and when it is finished the above information will be updated.