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Restoring the Dignity of 500 People with Mental Illness

As we celebrate 20 years of St. Martin CSA’s existence this year, we wish to share our joy and gratitude with you for being a part of this journey. Our theme this year is “Footsteps of Gratitude and Openness”. 

Our Gratitude goes to you, our friends, supporters, sponsors, donors and volunteers for your generous commitment and resources. You have been our inspiration while working with the vulnerable amongst us. Through your support, we have been able to touch and transform the lives of children with disabilities, survivors of violence, children in need of protection and care, people suffering from HIV/AIDS and addiction, as well as the communities that surround them.

We also take this moment to convey our Openness to change. We are far from completing and fulfilling our mission and we believe there is much more to commit ourselves to. There are new areas of concern, new challenges that await our response: People dealing with mental illness are one of the groups we are starting to journey with.  For this reason, we ask for your support as we implement a new 3-year project on mental health that will run from April 2020 to March 2023.  

This venture was informed by a study conducted by St. Martin and media reports that have highlighted growing mental illness cases. The study revealed that mental illness is a significant challenge in the target area and the need for assistance is great. The study further revealed that stigma, lack of access to medical care occasioned by the high cost of consultation and medicines and transport to seek professional support as well as false information on mental health are the main contributing factors to the low levels of community capacity to address the problem. 

The Community Programme for Addiction and Mental Health is currently implementing a 2-year pilot project on mental health (April 2018- Mar 2020) that has justified why this project needs to be undertaken. Based on the review of the pilot project and the great need for intervention, St. Martin CSA wishes to increase its coverage of patients from 30 to 500 as well as enhance the capacity of their families to support and care for them. Additionally, the project will carry out activities to positively influence the attitude of the general community in a bid to reduce the stigma of patients with mental illness and their families face.

The Goal

To reach out to 500 people with mental illness and their support systems and structures, the project needs an average of Ksh. 100,850 per beneficiary for three years (translates to about Ksh 33,600 per beneficiary per year) which gives a total of Kshs. 50,425,000 to cover the project for the three years.

 

Activities

Torch Relay

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The work of St. Martin CSA would not be possible without the many volunteers. For the 20th anniversary, we will celebrate them with a torch relay event. From August to October, a burning torch will be carried from community to community as a symbol of their continuous and long-lasting engagement for and support of St. Martin CSA.

Read about the activities in Ol Moran

Community Committee

committee A committee was formed consisting of distinguished members of the community of Nyahururu that aims to organise a special fundraising event. It includes representatives from all major professional sectors, businesses, organisations and institutions. The committee organised a fundraising dinner to support the mental health project.

St. Martin CSA Day

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On November 9th, the activities around the 20th anniversary of St. Martin CSA culminated in the final celebration on the grounds of the Nyahururu DEB Primary School. The numerous participants from the area and guests from abroad were welcomed by the founder of St. Martin CSA, Fr. Gabriele Pipinato, and enjoyed a beautiful day.

Read more and see the picture gallery

Live on Facebook: Ndungu Nyoro

ndungu nyoro

On June 3rd and July 2nd, Ndungu Nyoro discussed the topic of mental health on a live Facebook event. A number of professionals from St. Martin CSA and survivors of mental illness participated and shared experiences of St. Martin CSA's pilot projet in mental health.

Watch the full vide0 from Jund 3rd

Watch the full video from July 2nd

Hiking Mount Longonot

 

 
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On August 3rd2019, St. Martin CSA in conjunction with Vijana Tustawi organized a mental health hike on Mt. Longonot as part of their 20thanniversary celebration build-up activities. The hike was inspired by the 20th-anniversary theme “Footsteps of Gratitude and Openness” and echoed our openness and commitment to addressing issues of mental illness that continue to plague our communities and nation at large.

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