More than 800 secondary, TVET schools and youth centres have implemented he school-based mental health programme which was introduced to strengthen the fight against mental health illness among the youth. The programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Through this programme, psychologists are being deployed in schools to educate students about mental health problems and encouraging them to seek help, while training teachers on how to identify the symptoms that their students might have. Statistics from the Rwanda Mental Health Survey show that there is a 10.2% prevalence of mental disorders among 14- to 18-year-olds, and reports indicate that the majority of mental disorders usually start during childhood or adolescence and may continue till adulthood. According to Emmanuel Hakomeza, senior officer for youth intervention at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, the initiative was started as a way of tackling mental health issues at an early stage, starting with adolescents in schools. Hakomeza said that the programme has had a significant impact in addressing mental health issues in the schools that have implemented it. “Through this initiative, we have been able to identify symptoms of depression, anxiety, suicide behaviors, drug abuse and then send the ones that need help to local health centers to keep being followed by professionals,” “We also teach these students and teachers how to support each other, sexual reproductive health, and addiction issues and also tackle the stigma around mental issues,” he said. The plan, he said, is to make sure that they reach all schools in the country and continue monitoring to make sure that the ones already in place keep up with the programme. Aluman Hamza, the head teacher of New Explorers Girls Academy (NEGA) in Bugesera District said the initiative has helped students in learning more about mental health and reproductive health, however he added that they still need professional help to deal with the complex cases. Yvonne Uwamahoro, a psychologist, hailed the programme saying that it will help improve the mental health situation in Rwanda. “In most cases, people with mental health issues seek help because they are already too sick, which is hard to treat at that level, but if young people start learning about mental health early and learn how to seek help then it will make a difference,” she said. Uwamahoro added that as a parent it pleases her to know that her children are learning about mental health, and also how to take care of themselves mentally, because it is as important as physical health.
