A week-long training is underway in Tamale to train primary stakeholders of the Maternal Mental Health Project funded by UK aid. The project, titled “Enhancing Maternal Mental Health of 29,520 pregnant women and mothers and their children to realise maternal and child health in Ghana” is intended to address mental health needs of women within the maternal and child healthcare service delivery system. Facilitators are from UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
The training will equip Project staff, midwives and leadership of self-help groups of people with mental illness or epilepsy with psycho-education skills to enable them support pregnant women and new mothers. Once the trainings are over, screening of pregnant women and new mothers will commence in preselected health facilities in the 74 project districts.
The training, which commenced on Monday, February 11, 2019 and intended to end on Friday, February 15, 2019. Day one of the training was attended by project staff of project implementation partners ─ BasicNeeds-Ghana, MIHOSO International Foundation (MIHOSO), Gub-Katimali Society (GKS) and the Centre for People’s Empowerment and Rights Initiatives (CPRI). They were trained in psychosocial skills to enable them identify and support project beneficiaries.
The second segment of the training, which ran from February 12 to February 13 was attended by selected senior midwives from the participating districts. They were trained to identify and counsel women with pregnancy related mental health issues. The third segment of the training, which started on February 14 and ends on Fenbruary 15, is being attended by women leaders of self-help groups of people with mental illness or epilepsy. They are being trained in psychosocial skills to enable them provide ongoing appropriate and effective peer support to group members with pregnancy related mental health issues.
