Edito
Together
As we mentioned in our previous edition, Louvain Coopération has taken the necessary measures – some of them difficult – to ensure the long-term viability of its activities within the framework of its mission, in consultation with all stakeholders..
The development of these measures provided an opportunity to lay the foundations for a new organisational structure for the NGO, which will enable it to achieve its objectives more effectively. A new managing director and a new financial manager have been appointed. The “Programmes” team has been adapted in line with the NGO's mission and the increased requirements of donors; making local populations more autonomous by transferring more skills to them is in line with this mission.
Considerable efforts have been made in terms of human resources at the headquarters in Louvain-la-Neuve; we would like to thank the entire team for their collaboration.
The reorganisation was also made possible thanks to the Catholic University of Louvain, which, having confidence in the NGO and its ability to respond, mobilised the resources necessary to implement the reforms.
This process was successful because it brought together the driving forces surrounding our association. Together, we continue to write the history of Louvain Coopération by creating a new dynamic that brings about change.
On this new foundation, the NGO is bouncing back, full of motivation and energy, focusing on its primary mission: to give the beneficiaries of its projects the means to take control of their own destiny. One aspect of this mission is embodied in its ‘mental health’ programme, the theme of this edition of Devlop'. !
Marthe Nyssens
Chair of the Board of Directors
As part of its investment in mental health, Louvain Coopération is carrying out actions aimed at reducing the incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) in three cities in Bolivia.
Since 2013, support groups have been helping victims of violence to assert their rights and find refuge in health centres or educational communities where staff responsible for GBV victims have received training.
With the support and advice of our local partners, a departmental law and a municipal plan against violence have been implemented. These initiatives have been encouraged by the Bolivian Ministry of Health, which considers them to be ‘model work’.
Actions in the coming years will focus in particular on maintaining support groups. This is ensured by a network of motivated young people who, thanks in particular to social media, raise awareness of the groups, their activities and actions. In addition, this makes it possible to compile and highlight the work to the authorities with a view to further recognition.
In Burundi, the IZERE pilot project aims to improve the management of all aspects of mental health (biological, psychosocial and societal) for the populations of the municipalities of Mwumba and Kiremba, in the province of Ngozi. Through this project, Louvain Coopération aims to provide medical care for mental disorders and psychological distress, but also to promote the socio-economic reintegration of patients and change society's perception of mental health.
In 2017, following the launch of the project, visits were organised to hospitals that integrate mental health care into primary care, as well as to neuropsychiatric centres (CNP). Subsequently, a partnership agreement was signed between the Kamenge CNP and our partner, the Bureau d'Appui au Développement et à l'Entraide Communautaire (BADEC). This enabled the launch of specific training for healthcare providers in the field of mental health.
Many countries still stigmatise people with mental health problems and fail to provide them with any support. Yet this is a very real issue, particularly in countries in the Global South, where people face many challenges. For the past ten years, Louvain Coopération has been fighting to integrate mental health care into its countries of action and thus help thousands of people who are in deep distress.
Mental health disorders are present throughout the world. According to the WHO, 14% of health problems worldwide are mental disorders. This is therefore a huge problem, which unfortunately affects low- and middle-income countries more, where there are a large number of aggravating factors. As a result, three quarters of mental illness cases worldwide occur in these countries. In Cambodia, for example, 47% of the population suffers from severe stress, which prevents them from living a normal life.
Financial anxieties and parents who wonder every day how they will feed their children, insecurity, the threat of disease... these are just some of the many problems that cause serious anxiety and, in some cases, mental illness. Yet this issue has long been deeply neglected, leaving the vast majority of patients without treatment.
In rural areas of Cambodia, it is not uncommon to see grandmothers caring for their grandchildren and even other children in the village in the absence of their parents. These children are commonly referred to as ‘left behind.’ Their parents have left the country or region in search of better economic opportunities. Day after day, this phenomenon is growing.
It is estimated that more than one million Cambodians are currently migrating to Thailand in search of work. An even greater number move within the country for the same purpose. This migration dynamic has become essential to the economic development of many countries as it provides a low-skilled and therefore low-cost labour force. Despite the scale of the phenomenon, very little data is available on the secondary effects of these migrations, particularly on children.
In fact, while much attention is focused on the positive effects of migration for the country of origin, such as remittances sent by migrants to their families, little is said about the negative effects of migration on the general well-being of emigrants' children. For example, we do not know how separation from parents affects children's development and redistributes roles within the family. Nor is there any evidence to establish a direct link between the increase in the number of migrants and the increase in the number of children placed in institutions or foster families in Cambodia.
A research project to improve understanding of the subject
In response to this lack of data, a project in which Louvain Coopération is participating is currently being developed. Its objective is to explore three central questions: to what extent does separation from parents affect children's nutritional, behavioural and psychological development? Does worker migration lead to children being placed in foster care? And finally, what are the most culturally and contextually appropriate interventions to address the problems identified by previous research?
The project is led by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with more than 60 NGOs, UN agencies and Cambodian ministries. IOM technical experts, in collaboration with the local Louvain Coopération team, have developed a research methodology for the Cambodian context. This methodology is based on field visits and a research framework designed to understand the social and health impacts of migration on migrant children.