Finding Partners

Rwanda is an entrepreneurial country, working hard to produce a strong economy, but it is also filled with people who are looking for a way to support and grow the community of people who do not have the resources to jump to that entrepreneurial level.

Yesterday, Claver Haragirimana (OPROMAMER president/director) and myself were fortunate to meet with people interested in mental health care in Rwanda and in participating in the Soul Therapy program at CARAES, Ndera. Not surprisingly, these were people who were already invested in providing care to people who are under-served.

We talked about the problems that those with mental illness face. One young woman is already helping those with epilepsy, transporting them to appropriate care facilities and even paying for treatment! This is in response to the stigma surrounding people who suffer from epilepsy - without proper medication and care, epileptics often lose the privilege attending schooling and holding jobs.

The unfortunate fact is that Rwandans who suffer from mental health problems are often marked for exclusion from many areas of society. Families will often shun members who exhibit mental illness and will even shun them after a recovery - the stigma and fear surrounding mental health is strong.

Fortunately, there is a solution! When those with mental health issues are cared for, treated fairly and given access to proper means, they can become respected professionals. Such a reversal of fortune often eliminates the detrimental effects of stigma. This is why it is one of Soul Therapy's goals to not only bring art to patients as a therapy, we also are seeking to teach useful skills to patients so they may produce income and engender respect within their communities.

In addition to discussing activities, we also talked about sources of support and funding. Soul Therapy and OPROMAMER are important resources for the mentally ill and they need more resources in order to grow and meet the needs of those afflicted with mental illness. There are many institutions, both national and international, along with associations and co-operatives here in Rwanda that may be able to help.

Thank you everybody who came out to the meetup! Monday is the first day for holding the new round of art therapy sessions at CARAES in Ndera. There will be two sessions with a handful of participants, one from 10:30 to 11:30 and another from 2:30 to 3:30. The project will be "Expressive Figures" and it will be very fun! More sessions are planned, possibly with new people running them!