Promoting mental wellness and improving access to Mental Health Care and Services using

Community based approach

The World Health Organization (WHO, 1999) define Mental Health as a state of well-being in
which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, copes with the normal stresses of life,
works productively and fruitfully, and makes contributions to the community. Mental health is
considered as the foundation of well-being and effective functioning for an individual and for a
community. A community of mentally healthy individuals is therefore empowered, productive
and resilient. Mental health problems are increasing and dramatically adding to the global burden
of disease and disability worldwide. Mental disorders account for about 14% of global burden of
disease: depression, alcohol/drug abuse, and psychoses (WHO, 2007). The public health impact
of mental illness is that it can cause disability for prolonged periods. Promoting mental health
covers a variety of strategies which aims to have positive impact on mental health. It involves
actions that create living conditions and environments to support mental health and allow people
to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle. This includes program and policies that aim to foster
individual and community mental health towards healthy living. Promoting mental health
involves looking beyond prevention. It means looking at the relationship between mental well-
being and physical health; behavioural problems; violence; child abuse; domestic violence; drug
and alcohol misuse; living and working conditions such as homelessness, poverty and
unemployment; and risk taking behaviour such as smoking and unsafe sex. There are several
approaches that can be tried in rural communities to minimize the challenges of providing mental
health services and expanding the mental health work force. In order to reach out to the
community to create a healthy community, the trainers will target the youths in Nongrah
community and train them.
The organization that will sponsor will be Ausra Charice Foundation is a non-governmental
organization founded by Ms. Dafibanroi Kharshiing. It was established on the 19 th May, 2021. It
is a community-based organization aims to addressing the needs of people living with mental
illness as well as promoting their overall mental health. The motto of the organization is
“reaching out to the unreached”. The mission of the organization is to educate, empower, support
and advocate for people with mental health problems for a better society. The vision of the
organization is to create and promote a mentally healthy and stigma free communities. The
trainers will choose only 10 members from the training session that are qualified to work as a
volunteer community worker to promote mental health by engaging in activities for future
activities.

SMART Objective:

Sub-objectives Training Methods Resources (human, Evaluation Activities

(Content and/or material, financial,
Tasks) time)

Complete during Complete during Complete during Complete during

Peer Assessment 1 Peer Assessment 2 Peer Assessment 2 Peer Assessment 3
and revise as and revise as and revise as
necessary during necessary during necessary during
subsequent stages subsequent stages subsequent stages

Constructive Mental Human resource: An Monitoring and

To create a healthy health training experience Mental observation
and supportive sessions for the health professional throughout the
environment to trainers of the that will present the session and feedback
promote mental communities through video and engage the forms.
health. pre-test, video trainees in activities,
 Introduction presentation, lectures and
about Mental discussion and discussion.
health lectures.
 De-stigmati- Material: Pre-test on
zation mental health
 Prevalence of knowledge, Power
point slides, videos
 Mental health and scenarios where
problems and trainees have to
illness engage in discussion.
 Role of the Projector and
professionals, Miscellaneous
individual, Expenditure (chair,
community, table, banner,
society. Bluetooth speaker
 Services and with microphone).
policies Financial: Resource
Person (Rs. 3000),
Travelling expenses
(Rs. 1000), Materials-
pen (Rs. 200),
Notebook (Rs. 1500).
Projector (Rs. 3000),
Miscellaneous
Expenditure (chair,
table, banner,
Bluetooth speaker
with microphone) Rs.
Rs. 5000. Total
expenses of the day
Rs.13,700.
Time: 4 hours

To encourage trainers PPT slides, Video Human resource: An Monitoring and

based participation in presentation, role- expert on training the observation
delivering mental play, discussion and youths in the field of throughout the
health care and lectures. community mental session and
services. health. distributing feedback
Material: Power point forms.
slides, videos and
scenarios where
trainees have to
engage in activities
through
pamphlets/poster
making, video
editing, and role-
plays.
Financial: Resource
Person (Rs. 3000),
Travelling expenses
(Rs. 1000), Charts
(Rs. 300), Scissors
(Rs. 200), Pencil (Rs.
100), Sketch pens
(Rs. 500), Papers (Rs.
200), Rubber (Rs 50),
Projector (Rs. 3000),
Miscellaneous
Expenditure (chair,
table, banner,
Bluetooth speaker
with microphone) Rs.
Rs. 5000. Total
expenditure Rs
13,350.
Time: 6 hours
( including 15
 minutes break and 1
hour lunch time)

To select and evaluate Discussion, activities Human Resource: Feedback forms,

the trainers from the like street play, and Trainer who is also constructive
training session chart presentation, the project manager. discussion and post
feedbacks from the Material: Pamphlets test.
trainees and on training module.
evaluating the Financial: Travelling
trainees on the expenses (Rs. 1000),
knowledge and Miscellaneous
attitudes about mental Expenditure (chair,
health. table, banner,
Bluetooth speaker
with microphone) Rs.
Rs. 5000,
Refreshment (Rs.
5600).
Time: 5 hours
(including lunch
break)