In Burundi, the development of mental health initiatives is undoubtedly one of the greatest success stories of the last five years. Starting from scratch, in a region where mental illness is often equated with witchcraft, the IZERE project launched in 2017, in partnership with BADEC Caritas Ngozi, has contributed to the definition of a national mental health policy.
In a country going through periods of repeated economic crises, accompanied by mass violence, the field of mental health stood as a real unknown for the Burundians. ‘Mental illnesses were not understood by the population and were often confused with acts of bewitchment. We therefore had to train agents to raise community awareness and change mentalities and behaviour,’ explains Félix Mbanyankindagiye, technical assistant in Burundi for Louvain Coopération.
A total of 74 community health workers have been trained and equipped to raise awareness in the community but also to guide, guide and accompany patients. At the same time, patients who are stabilised, convalescing or even cured are now active in 24 associations with 855 members. These organisations provide technical and financial support to help them set up small businesses. ‘Thanks to these associations, we are also seeing an increase in resilience and self-esteem among former patients, as well as the strength to face the future with more hope,’ comments Félix.
For its work, our local partner BADECCaritas Ngozi has received the World Health Organisation's (WHO) ‘Prize for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2020’. In addition, this project has attracted the interest of the European Union in particular, which has been funding interventions in this area since 2019.