The 2018 Rwanda Mental Health Survey found that depression among the general population is 11.9 per cent, and at least one of five Rwandans has a mental health condition. Among young people, numbers indicated that youth aged 14-18 years old with mental disorders stand at 10.2 per cent. Reports also indicate that the majority of mental disorders usually start during childhood or adolescence and may continue till adulthood. In a bid to raise mental health awareness among young people, a school-based mental health programme was introduced in 2020, to strengthen the fight against mental health illness among the youth. Dr. Yvonne Kayiteshonga, Mental Health Division Manager at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) told The New Times that through the programme, so far 1006 out of 2176 secondary and TVET schools have been trained and the plan is broadening this activity to all the schools. Kayiteshonga said that at the beginning, the program was being implemented by mental health professionals working in District hospitals. Yet, from May 2022, mental health officers at health centres started implementing the program. “The program targets the secondary and TVET schools as the study showed that the prevalence is among teenagers,” she said. The mental health professionals visit schools on a weekly basis to conduct the screening of students and staff for early detection of mental health problems, and provide care to the ones positively screened. Kevine Micyomyiza, a senior five student, said that the program has been of benefit since many students have family problems which at some point is hard to deal with in the school environment. “Some topics are hard to discuss with our parents, especially when they are part of the story, so getting help at school feels better. Having someone to talk to when you feel down is something that everyone needs,” she said. She adds that, “this helps also in boosting our performance in class, with a fresh mind you can be able to study well.” Uzziel Manirareba, the Project Officer at Baho Neza mental health project, says that the program is timely and has the right target since that age is very sensitive in regards with mental health. He said since it takes time for young adults to open up, share and seek for mental health support, school environments create a safe space for effective help and that is why this is a continuous and not a one-day activity. He however said that much as schools have been covered, more efforts need to be directed to households to ensure that young people still get support when they are out of school. “There is still a gap in access to families; yes the child can be helped at school but what about a safe environment at home?” For the school programme to even be more effective, Manirareba urged to avail stable facilitation for schools to have enough mental health experts. “The program has helped through group therapy, it has improved the performance of students both academically and socially,” he said.
