Mental health is a very unexplored area of help needed in Africa. People don’t have the same understanding of it that we have in the UK, but the stresses of those living in some of the toughest regions of the world are very real.
VF wants to change that, seeing mental health as being just as important as physical health in the work that it does.
Suicide statistics in Malawi show a significant year-on-year increase, doubling in some recent years. The Sparkle Foundation states:
In the first half of 2023, Malawi registered 256 cases of suicide, as compared to 135 people who committed suicide during a similar period in 2022, representing a 100 percent rise in the number of cases. In 2024, the situation is even worse. Between January and June 2024, 281 people died by suicide, a 20% increase from the same period in 2023.
Further to this, some of those who travel to and visit VF projects in Malawi come back needing someone to talk to. While unimaginable joy and happiness can be seen in helping those in the greatest need, seeing potential suffering and not being able to cure all of the world’s problems can take a toll.
If you’re a mental health first aid trainer and are willing to go to Africa and help those in need or could be that listening ear to our teams in the UK, your skills can be put to exceptional use.
Please get in touch with us to see how your unique and invaluable skills can be used to help those in need so that VF can continue to deliver in giving people a hand up instead of a hand out.
