Empowering women adolescents and youth with a multilevel mental health initiative

This project aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Mozambicans especially adolescent girls and young women in 4 districts within the provinces of Sofala and Manica. It focuses on strengthening existing healthcare and community-based mental healthcare systems to address the needs of the most vulnerable and underserved populations. This project aims to scale up mental health services in secondary schools and maternity and youth-friendly mental health services in the targeted 4 districts. It also seeks to undertake community-based activities with various community leaders and families especially men. This is to promote and support the demand for mental health services especially for women and girls in their communities. The project also aims to promote mental health policies and programs in Mozambique that are evidence-based gender-responsive adequately resourced inclusive and disaster-responsive. Project activities include: (1) training healthcare workers to deliver gender-responsive and population-specific mental health clinical services and to integrate mental health services into routine care; (2) training community health workers to provide gender-responsive and population-specific clinical services within secondary schools and to sensitize teachers and administrators to mental health issues; and (3) sensitizing community leaders and families to support women and girls using mental health services.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) strengthened management and delivery of quality gender-responsive and user-friendly mental health and psychosocial support services in youth at-risk and maternal and children health centres; (2) increased use of gender transformative mental health and psychosocial support services in targeted communities particularly by adolescent girls and young women; and (3) improved mental health policies and programs in Mozambique that are evidence-based gender-responsive adequately resourced inclusive and disaster-responsive.