Newsletter March 2012

Dear friends and colleagues,

We are happy to send you this latest newsletter. The trimester has been hectic as usual, with a special treat last week when we convened in Zandvoort, Holland, for a conference that brought together key staff from the field and HQ, and partner organizations from Cambodia, DR Congo, Nepal and Uganda. We discussed options for the future in light of difficult times for international collaboration. We agreed that a strong bond between the different country offices and partner agencies can produce benefit for all. Our pool of experience keeps growing, and in this conference we studied new ways of keeping in touch and develop our thoughts and interventions further. More will be reported about the conference soon!

Best wishes,
Willem

Mark Jordans appointed Honorary Senior Lecturer at LSHTM

This month Mark Jordans - working for our Department of Research & Development - has been appointed as “Honorary Senior Lecturer” at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Within this position Mark will collaborate with LSHTM on a number of programmes concerning mental health.

Global Seminar HealthNet TPO

Last week (19 – 23 March 2012) HealthNet TPO organized a Global Seminar that brought together key staff from project countries, the head office and partner organizations. Aim was to create added value for the organization as a whole by sharing knowledge and experiences.

First mhGAP commission in Burundi appointed

We are proud to announce that the first ‘mhGAP commission’ has been appointed in Burundi. The task at hand is to develop a feasible and easy-to-use system for training doctors and nurses in mental health, aiming to integrate mental health into primary care using best practices in mental health combined with local knowledge.

Children evaluating psychosocial interventions?

In the most recent issue of Intervention Journal (International Journal of Mental Health, Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict) some interesting articles have been published. One of the articles describes a pilot study in Uganda about children evaluating psychosocial interventions.

Changes in management structure HealthNet TPO

The changing environment of donor options, accountability and the complexity of financial management have made the Board of HealthNet TPO decide to adapt the management structure of HealthNet TPO.