Sadag wants to care for caregivers

THE South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) wants to look after the mental health of those working in the non-profit sector as much as they take care of the communities they support, through its NPOwer movement and a series of mental health support webinars.

Sadag, in partnership with Tshikululu, launched the initiative, a firstof-its-kind civil society mental health support programme late last year.

Operations director Cassey Chambers said the objective of the programme was to provide essential support in terms of mental health to local civil society organisations.

“Sadag is a non-profit organisation, so we understand the strain, pressure, and stress that other organisations have had to deal with.

“This is was our way of giving back and looking after community organisations that do so much every day to help others.

“Caring for the carers is incredibly important, especially in our country where the demand for civil society services is so much greater,” Chambers said.

Over the past few months, many organisations saw an increase in demand for their services, but with little or no funding due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

She said some organisations had been forced to permanently shut down operations.

Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said: “Sadag’s initiative is a great idea. In the environment in which we work, we see the need for women and children to have access to such programmes that deal with mental health and well-being matters.”