In the past two days we have run our second Health community Worker training for self-help group (SHG) leaders in the rural and urban area around Coimbatore. This training is part of 12 different health related training modules under the umbrella of the Making More Health initiative. The training topics have been selected and discussed with the selfhelp group leaders and local NGO – to make it as useful as possible for the participants. Running a training on mental health was a very clear request by the selfhelp groups themselves and it is for sure one of the key topics that has a large impact on their daily life and self understanding. 

“There were 37 participants in all. 20 from tribal SHGs and 17 from urban SHGs. Participants liked the training very much as they were attending for the first time a mental health programme. Everyone participated actively and shared personal mental health problems – and got solutions or at least learned about tools on how to manage mental health issues, ” summarized our trainer team (local NGO manager, Local doctor and Making More Health manager) 

The topics of the first mental health training included mental health during pregnancy and postnatal mental health issues, depressions, mental health and aging, mental health in children and mental health and addiction. 

A second training session on mental health will follow in the next months.  For sure, it helped also the trainer team to learn more on how to care beyond traditional borders. Thanks to all who made this training a success and a benefit to the SHG participants !

More detail information will be available soon on our Makingmorehealth website and Mymmh. 

For those interested in a very interesting collection of stories, poems, paintings around mental health issues, please have a look here.