The Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) has introduced a mental health programme in schools in an effort to address mental health problems early among young people, the agency has said.

Dr. Yvonne Kayiteshonga, Mental Health Division Manager at RBC said that the programme started from secondary schools including those providing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in December 2020.

She was on April 5, speaking during a press briefing ahead of the 28th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi – Kwibuka 28 – which will commence on Thursday.

Given that mental health issues often begin from the teenage, Kayiteshonga said that the Government put in place this specific programme targeting the youth in schools.

"This was meant to prevent mental health issues, and take care of children by reaching out to them where they spend most of their time [– at school],” she observed.

They discuss with the students and their educators [teachers] about mental health, including risk factors that can negatively affect mental health, as well as protective factors [that can mitigate mental health problem risk].  Also, she said, they provide mental health care to students in need.   

Currently, she said it is implemented in 778 schools countrywide, where over 300,000 students have been reached. She indicated that there are two counselors in each of those schools, who were trained in mental health support so that they can help any student who might suffer from mental problems.

Through the initiative, it was realised that 7,000 students needed mental health service as they suffered from depression and trauma, Kayiteshonga exposed, adding that they were being provided help by the school counselors. However, she pointed out that 1,300 of them who needed further support, were taken to health facilities for treatment.

 "When a child’s mental health is not stable, it can lead to their poor performance in class,” she said.

"Mental health is important to a person’s life, their performance and the country’s economy… If we start there [by safeguarding children] and it becomes successful, we will have children enjoying good mental health, succeed in class and become future good leaders in Rwanda,” she said.

According to Kayiteshonga, mental health issues include mental illness, issues caused by drug (narcotic substance) abuse and addiction, and epilepsy.

She said that most of the mental health issues in the country stemmed from the trauma caused by the Genocide against Tutsi in 1994 and are more prevalent among Genocide survivors, indicating that they should be dealt with comprehensively because when they are not addressed, they lead to complicated cases.

"And, among the youth who suffer from mental health issues, most of them are the children who were born from genocide survivors,” she said.

Other factors for the mental health issues in the country, she said, include violence especially that based on gender.

Meanwhile, she indicated the number of mental health patients who received regular healthcare doubled in two years from 200,000 in 2019 to 400,000 in 2021.