THESE updates were presented in Hamburg at the Rotary International Convention on June 2, 2019 during our third Annual Action Group Meeting.
Any Rotary club can replicate this successful mental health project that has been proven by schools in the USA, Puerto Rico, India, and Nigeria. You are welcome to translate its supplemental materials into a local language: versions to date include English, Spanish, Hindi, Kannada, and Marathi.
PLDP-Nigeria was initiated with the help of the Rotarian Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives. Eight schools in Nigeria have trained faculty, parents, and 1,824 teens; two of the schools also added a computer lab to introduce a virtual Wellness Center (within Whyville.net) to students age 7 and older. Grant funding is not mandatory because the core training and content are online without cost from Boston Children’s Hospital (https://www.openpediatrics.org/course/break-free-depression); the sustainable elements include a referral protocol, experienced trainers, and normalized conversations around mental health and wellness. If grant money is made available, it can be put to excellent use by adding clinical care - the implementations in Puerto Rico, India, and Nigeria were completed through Rotary global grants that provided a traveling clinician to support each participating school during the implementation year and to identify ongoing resources.
It began in 2015, when Vice-Chair of RAGMHI, Dr. Geetha Jayaram (RC Howard West), visited Dr. Vygintas Grini (RC Kaunas) in Lithuania to discuss the possibility of reducing the number of suicides in that country which has been approximately 9 times higher than other countries is the EU. Dr. Jayaram spoke on, “The role of contemporary leader in the prevention of suicides” and agreed to help implement the project, provide consultations, and supervisions for project quality assurance for GG1743565.
The Rotaract Club of Kampala International University champion for this project is Bombokka Mpanga Ivan (bombokkaivanm@gmail.com) and the population served are girls attending Public schools in Uganda. Menstruation is a normal occurrence in every pubescent school-going girl and is associated with a variety of issues ranging from its physical symptoms to psychological effects such as anxiety, depression and inherent psychosocial stress.
Tutoring in Rural Villages: The Need
Many barriers can make it difficult to attend school for children in rural Karnataka, India. For those who do attend, many children cannot stay in school without some tutoring help. This appears insurmountable to families that do not know how to access help.
Some children become agricultural workers at a very young age when the family has debt. Some children have health problems that interfere with their school attendance. Some simply need help to catch up to classmates.
