Ethiopia - Dutch Relief Alliance Joint Response - April 2021 - photo by Joost Bastmeijer
Sosina Mekonen, a 23-year-old psychiatric nurse.
In Mokonisa, a rural community in southern Ethiopia, many people believe that mental illness or neurological disorders are caused by spiritual beings and are contagious.
The coronavirus, and the subsequent measures from the government, made access to care impossible.
While providing medical assistance to the village, Sosina Mekonen educated the community about mental health and neurological disorders, debunking many myths. "In the beginning, everyone ignored me," Sosina recalls. "People refused to admit that there were mentally ill among them. They kept them hidden in their homes or locked up somewhere. Families isolated them because they mistakenly believed that these conditions could be transmitted."
Sosina was patient and kept repeating her story. “After many conversations, people started opening up. Not only relatives of patients with an existing condition, for example, who no longer had access to care, but also people who developed mental health problems due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, unemployment, lack of income and all its consequences. Men who were once busy but unable to work began to deal with anxiety and depression. As a result, violence against women also increased.”
This is how the ball started rolling and people now dare to express themselves during talks about mental health.
---
Ethiopia has been struggling with various crises for years. The East African country is being ravaged by a devastating locust infestation, flooding and, in some areas, persistent drought.
Also, the conflict in the northern Tigray region has been causing fear and insecurity for months.
Cordaid, together with other organisations within the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), provided emergency aid in Ethiopia in 2021. The DRA is a partnership of 14 Dutch aid organisations that supports people in the world's largest crisis areas with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By joining forces, the organisations can make a difference for people in emergency situations. In Ethiopia, Cordaid worked together with SOS Children's Villages, CARE, the Refugee Foundation and Tearfund.
In Ethiopia, the DRA organisations have handed out soap, water filters and hygiene kits; repaired and built new health centers; repaired and installed water facilities at clinics, schools and other public places; provided information about protection against corona; provided mental health care.
With these activities, the DRA has helped more than 276,000 people, through close collaboration with local organisations. The activities focused mainly on girls and women.
Ethiopia - Dutch Relief Alliance Joint Response - April 2021 - photo by Joost Bastmeijer
Sosina Mekonen, a 23-year-old psychiatric nurse.
In Mokonisa, a rural community in southern Ethiopia, many people believe that mental illness or neurological disorders are caused by spiritual beings and are contagious.
The coronavirus, and the subsequent measures from the government, made access to care impossible.
While providing medical assistance to the village, Sosina Mekonen educated the community about mental health and neurological disorders, debunking many myths. "In the beginning, everyone ignored me," Sosina recalls. "People refused to admit that there were mentally ill among them. They kept them hidden in their homes or locked up somewhere. Families isolated them because they mistakenly believed that these conditions could be transmitted."
Sosina was patient and kept repeating her story. “After many conversations, people started opening up. Not only relatives of patients with an existing condition, for example, who no longer had access to care, but also people who developed mental health problems due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, unemployment, lack of income and all its consequences. Men who were once busy but unable to work began to deal with anxiety and depression. As a result, violence against women also increased.”
This is how the ball started rolling and people now dare to express themselves during talks about mental health.
---
Ethiopia has been struggling with various crises for years. The East African country is being ravaged by a devastating locust infestation, flooding and, in some areas, persistent drought.
Also, the conflict in the northern Tigray region has been causing fear and insecurity for months.
Cordaid, together with other organisations within the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), provided emergency aid in Ethiopia in 2021. The DRA is a partnership of 14 Dutch aid organisations that supports people in the world's largest crisis areas with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By joining forces, the organisations can make a difference for people in emergency situations. In Ethiopia, Cordaid worked together with SOS Children's Villages, CARE, the Refugee Foundation and Tearfund.
In Ethiopia, the DRA organisations have handed out soap, water filters and hygiene kits; repaired and built new health centers; repaired and installed water facilities at clinics, schools and other public places; provided information about protection against corona; provided mental health care.
With these activities, the DRA has helped more than 276,000 people, through close collaboration with local organisations. The activities focused mainly on girls and women.