A reliable and well-coordinated referral network is essential in promoting mental health services and ensuring survivors of violence receive timely and appropriate support. In Nakuru county, service providers in the mental health and psychosocial support #MHPSS sector, accustomed to working in silos, met for the first time through MIDRIFT efforts and committed to promoting mental health awareness and access to mental health thereof.
MIDRIFT HURINET brought together key MHPSS stakeholders from Nakuru East, Nakuru West, and Naivasha sub-counties to enhance coordination and collaboration among the service providers, strengthen referral networks, promote mental health awareness among the service providers, and encourage help-seeking behavior among community members.
In the forums, whose main objective was to enhance access to #mentalhealth services in the county, key issues affecting access to mental health services were highlighted as a lack of awareness of GBV and mental health issues which led to an increase in unreported cases, Ignorance and normalization of mental health issues within the community, and Delayed response by stakeholders. Shame and Stigma are a major hindrance to accessing mental where community members undergoing violence feel too ashamed to look for support, putting much thought into the community’s perspectives on them afterward.
Cultural and religious barriers where survivors of violence are accustomed to not reporting cases of violence as well as seeking help for their cultural and religious beliefs. Awareness among People with Disabilities is also low, with those living with disabilities including parents of children with disabilities hiding and choosing not to seek MHPSS support.
Madam Grace Gachimu, a representative from the PWD community highlighted the alarming rise in sexual and gender-based violence cases among the deaf community in Karagita; “language barriers prevent victims and their families from reporting crimes, allowing perpetrators to silence the community and obstruct justice,” she explained.
Service providers in Naivasha pointed out the absence of a gender desk at Karagita Police Station as a significant challenge in addressing mental health and GBV cases in the area.
“Many SGBV cases go unreported because there is no designated office to handle such matters,” shared one Community Health Promoter (CHP), “as a result, victims remain silent and perpetrators continue to roam freely in the community.“
Through MIDRIFT, the MHPSS service providers are collaborating with local peace structures such as Nyumba Kumi and the Community Policing Committee (CPC) to enhance mental health awareness in the county. They committed to collaborating and supporting each other to enhance the provision of mental health services in the county, sensitizing the community members on mental health and the prevalence of violence. The service providers are also set to onboard other relevant stakeholders in the community such as the flower farms in Naivasha, the education sector to cater to children affected by GBV or mental health issues, and the religious sector, leveraging on religious institutions such as churches and mosques to create awareness on mental health matters.
The stakeholders also committed to work together, complementing, and supporting each other in advocating for mental health and psychosocial support services #MHPSS within Nakuru, with each having a clear understanding of their role in the referral network to ensure its effectiveness.
“As an institution, we are working closely with Nakuru County Government to fast-track the implementation of the Nakuru County Mental Health Action Plan which, among other things, seeks to ensure that every public health facility has a counselor,” explained Millie Rono, a psychologist at MIDRIFT.
MIDRIFT will continue to support the MHPSS stakeholders to hold quarterly follow-up meetings to assess challenges and explore new opportunities in improving mental health services. Additionally, MIDRIFT will engage the Nakuru County Government to fast-track the establishment of mental health facilities and implement the Nakuru County Mental Health Action Plan which will ensure every public health facility in the county has a trained counselor providing free services to the community.
By Judy Gathura
