Mental health programme for students
Valor Mental Health Foundation in Francistown has rolled out a programme to teach students about mental health and how to cope if affected.
Founder of Valor Mental Health Foundation, Charlotte Ruwona explained in an interview that their organisation aims to educate the public on mental health, promote practices that propagate good mental health, and eliminate stigma towards people living with mental health conditions. Ruwona said they have visited all the junior secondary schools in Francistown since the programme started, adding that the frequency of the visits depends on the need and demands of the schools.
Due to the complicated nature of mental health, the organisation keeps the information they give to students simple and easy to understand. Topics covered include depression, anxiety, and general mental health disorders. “We then link these to day-to-day issues the students face and how they can impact them. On some occasions, students have more information than we expect and they ask specific questions, which we answer to their satisfaction,” Ruwona explained.She said their simplified way of interaction ensures that students thoroughly understand the material. They also use real-life experiences that students can identify with. Their target age group is 13 to 16 years. Ruwona said that without guidance the teen years are particularly harrowing and confusing hence the foundation’s attempt to carry children through this stage, helping them to deal with mostly unaddressed issues that can be extremely destructive. The programme will be rolled out to other parts of the country.