According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of mental disorders among the population in Somalia is higher than in many other countries affected by war and post-conflict situations. In the country, one in three people is or has been affected by some form of mental illness.
The high incidence of mental health disorders results from a combination of factors: intergenerational trauma, extreme poverty, and natural disasters such as famines, which often occur with severe consequences in terms of hunger and mortality.
Since 1996, GRT has been present in Somalia and is one of the few organizations addressing mental health for the population. Thanks to funding from the Otto per Mille of the Waldensian Church, GRT is on the ground supporting the Forlanini Hospital in Mogadishu, offering advanced training courses for healthcare professionals and controlled distribution of medications. These actions take shape in the project “Support for the Psychiatric Ward of Forlanini Hospital – Mogadishu, Somalia,” through which GRT intervenes locally to provide its knowledge and resources. The organization’s initiatives are also designed to support a country suffering from a severe shortage of professionals and facilities, lack of investment, and widespread prejudice and stigmatization regarding mental health issues.
In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), GRT periodically organizes advanced training days to give doctors, nurses, midwives, public health professionals, and psychologists the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to provide mental health services in their local communities.
Here are some testimonies of fieldwork carried out in August:
This project was carried out with the contribution of the
8×1000 funds to the Waldensian Church.
