EMPOWER

(Empowering people affected by Mental disorders to PromOte a Wider Engagement with Research)

 

What is the objective of EMPOWER?


The scenario of mental health is dismal across the world. The mental health community is fragile. The delivery of mental health services is fragmented.

Despite the evidence of the burden of mental disorders and the cost-effectiveness of treatments, the 'treatment gap' remains very large, up to 90% in developing countries.

 

One of the major barriers to making mental health care more accessible is the marginalisation of the voices of people affected by mental disorders and the limited capacity of groups representing them (user organizations) to articulate positions grounded on science.

 

EMPOWER aims to strengthen the capacity of user organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to utilise research findings to develop a plan for engagement with the communities they work with to improve the understanding of the nature and treatment of mental disorders and reduce the stigma associated with them

 

Download powerpoint presentation by Susan Keter (USP-Kenya CEO) National Institutes of Health workshop held at Hyatt Regency, Bethesda on 24th and 25th March 2011

 

What are the expected outcomes of EMPOWER?

EMPOWER will develop public engagement strategies designed and developed by members of user organizations in four countries (Kenya, Zambia, India, Nepal) on the basis of global mental health research evidence and the experiences of people affected by mental disorders.

 

These strategies will illustrate a diversity of approaches to public engagement that includes visual media (for example posters, photographs, and documentary), print media (for example, newspaper advertisements and articles), electronic media (for example, websites) and performance (for example, street theatre).

 

We hope that these strategies will create a basis for concerted campaigns among mental health workers to promote mental health and to combat stigma and discrimination associated with mental disorders.


How will EMPOWER realize these outcomes ?

EMPOWER begins in November 2010, at the Leadership in Mental Health Course in Goa, India, when representatives of all the partners will participate and interact with other mental health stakeholders to develop the key messages and communication strategies.

 

Then, EMPOWER will support each user organization to develop, implement and evaluate the resulting strategy with their members and local communication experts. We plan to disseminate these communication strategies at the Global Mental Health Summit in Cape Town in October 2011.

 

EMPOWER will also support the revision of the websites of the Movement for Global Mental Health (www.globalmentalhealth.org) and partner organizations to make them more user friendly and interactive with technical support from expert web-designers.


Who are involved in EMPOWER?

EMPOWER is a collaboration between a leading global mental health research institution (the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and five NGOs: Sangath (India), the Nepal Mental Health Foundation, the Mental Health Users Network of Zambia, the Users and Survivors of Psychiatry in Kenya and the Richmond Psychosocial Foundation (India). Charlene Sunkel, Gauteng Consumer Advocacy Movement (South Africa) and Ritsuko Kakuma (University of Toronto) provides consultative support in developing communication methods. Manta Ray Media (www.mantaraymedia.co.uk) will work with a group of members of the Movement to improve its website.
EMPOWER is supported by a grant from the Wellcome Trust.

(For further information, please email: empowermgmh@gmail.com)

 

Click here to download the Original Release in pdf detailed on this web page

 

Design downloaded from free website templates.