Rwanda, like many other low-income countries, experiences insufficient mental health awareness and minimal engagement with any formal mental health services that are available.

According to a recent study dubbed Rwanda Mental Health Survey, 61.7 per cent of people have awareness of mental health services but only 5.3 per cent are reported to have used them.

At the same time, a significant number of people prefer to seek treatment of mental health issues from traditional healers and religious leaders.

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That is one of the reasons why the Alumni of Genocide Survivors’ Students Association (GAERG) in partnership with the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Education (MINUBUMWE) started a project that aims to promote social healing, social cohesion and community resilience in Rwanda.

As part of the launch, on February 14, the organisation held a mental health awareness campaign in Karembure cell, Gahanga sector, Kicukiro district.

According to Fidele Nsengiyaremye, Executive Director of GAERG, the organisation will work in Kicukiro, Bugesera and Ruhango districts. However, the entire project will reach all districts of Rwanda where MINUBUMWE will partner with different civil society organisations in implementing it.

Tackling social healing, Nsengiyaremye noted that they seek to raise mental health awareness among Rwandans in the districts they will operate from to leverage uptake on mental health services at different health facilities.

"We also want to explain to people that having a mental health disorder is normal just like having any other disease," he said. "People isolate themselves or get isolated by those around them, thus they don&039;t let professionals help them to heal."

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Nsengiyaremye also noted that through community awareness campaigns, they aim to help Rwandans live together in harmony by accepting what happened to them and the country — given that usually when one has a mental health issue, it also affects those around them.

Nsengiyaremye further says they will build community resilience by helping people to work together and creating community groups where people can meet, discuss like a family and advise each other with ease.

Solange Umutesi, District Executive Administrator of Kicukiro district believes that the new project will help people to understand that mental health should be taken care of by being taught how mental health issues affect one psychologically and socially.

"Communicating how one takes care of their mental health, what can destroy it, the consequences that come with that as well as what should be done for those with mental health issues is what we want to do through this project," she said.

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Theodette Ingabire, president of Karembure Village in Gahanga sector said they expect the initiative to help curb problems that are tailored to mental health issues.

Those, she said, include family conflict that causes children trauma and leads to drug abuse, prostitution, and unwanted pregnancy.

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Jean Damascene Ngendahimana, a community health worker said that the initiative will ease their work in advising people to go to the health centre after suspecting that they have mental health issues.

He urged those who still go to traditional healers for mental health disorders treatment to stop that and seek help from professionals at nearby health facilities.