The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that “mental, neurological and substance use disorders account for more than 10% of the global disease burden.” Furthermore, the “lost productivity resulting from depression and anxiety, two of the most common mental disorders, cost the global economy $1 trillion per year.” Concerningly, in developing nations, more than three-quarters of people suffering from mental conditions do not receive adequate care or treatment. In response, the Ghanaian government has taken steps to improve mental health and mental health care in Ghana. However, in 2022, WHO reported that just “2% of Ghana’s 2.3 million people living with mental health conditions [received] psychiatric treatment and support from health facilities.”
Mental Health Care in Ghana
According to the WHO Mental Health Atlas 2020, Ghana allocates approximately 3% of the government’s total health expenditure on mental health care, with 67.8% of this amount going toward funding the services provided in mental health hospitals across the country.
Ghanaians with mental conditions contribute about 20% toward the cost of the mental health services they use, and similarly, about 20% toward the cost of associated medicines.
Although Ghana had been in the developmental stages of the mental health care sector, from 2014 until 2020, the number of mental health care workers per 100,000 population rose by about 2%. According to the 2020 Atlas, Ghana has 39 psychiatrists, 26 psychologists and 2,463 mental health nurses.
Furthermore, Ghana has three official mental hospitals while 250 hospitals across the country have outpatient mental health facilities. Ghana also has 1,016 community-based mental health outpatient facilities, which makes mental health care more accessible.
The major mental health problems in Ghana are schizophrenia, mood disorders and substance abuse. People with mental disorders in Ghana are often ostracized and treated inhumanely, for example, through restrictive measures such as shackling.
Addressing the Inhumane Treatment of Mentally Illness
Human Rights Watch reported at the end of 2022 several eyewitness accounts of shackled people suffering from mental health conditions. In January 2023, at the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Ghana, U.N. Member States called on the government of Ghana to urgently “address the shackling and inhumane treatment of people with mental health conditions in Ghana.”
Several media outlets have reported on the shackling of mentally ill people in Ghana. Human Rights Watch reported, “Families often take people with mental health conditions to faith-based or traditional healers because of widely held beliefs that psychosocial disabilities are caused by curses or evil spirits.” People who are shackled face further issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and muscular atrophy. Furthermore, in these faith-based centers and camps, shackled mentally ill people are confined to small and unhygienic spaces, deprived of basic human needs.
Understanding the Problem
Mental health nurse and founder of the Ghanaian NGO called the Mental Health Advocacy Foundation, Stephen Asante, has a different view. He explains that the use of shackles is not a matter of “abandonment or abuse,” but rather, of poverty and under-resourced health care systems. Families and other caregivers resort to chaining due to a lack of access to medication and adequate mental health care treatment. Asante notes that by addressing underfunding and the lack of mental health care resources in Ghana, the issue of shackling will dissolve.
Due to the cultural stigma surrounding mental health in Ghana, people suffering from mental health conditions object to and fear seeking help. Therefore, many Ghanaians remain suffering in silence. Changes in attitudes toward mental health will require community-wide interventions and campaigns.
Ghana’s mental health budget stands at about 1.4% of its total health care expenditure, according to WHO. This is low in comparison to the 11% that the U.K. committed to mental health care in 2015.
Moving Forward
The Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG) is a grassroots membership association that aims to improve access to quality and affordable mental health care across Ghana. This association is managing to aid 18,000 people suffering from mental illnesses and their caregivers, across Ghana. MEHSOG also aims to advance mental health in Ghana by influencing decision-makers to implement policies that uphold the rights of people with illnesses and the people who care for them.
In February 2021, MEHSOG partnered with the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Associations (GHAFTRAM) to hold three training sessions to train 10 owners and managers of traditional prayer camps and healing centers in Ghana on the rights to bear in mind when treating people with mental health conditions. Michael Osei-Koranteng, the main investigator at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) facilitated these training sessions using his expertise in human rights. Osei-Koranteng highlighted that these facilities must never utilize torture, abuse or any other violations of human rights when dealing with people who have mental conditions.
With greater funding and commitments to upholding the human rights of mentally ill individuals, mental health in Ghana has the potential to significantly improve.
– Louise Kiernan
Photo: Flickr
5 Ethical Farming Campaigns Everyone Should Know
5 Ethical Farming Campaigns
Looking Ahead
So many of the world’s favorite commodities depend on the work of farmers and employees in developing countries. By supporting ethical farming campaigns, one can ensure fair pay and decent working conditions for these workers and contribute to the establishment of a more sustainable global system of farming.
– Samuel Chambers
Photo: Flickr
Biotechnology Can Alleviate Food Insecurity
Biofertilizer
Russia’s war on Ukraine has disrupted not only food security but the supply of industry-standard chemical fertilizers. In the face of delays and high costs, underprivileged farmers are going without or substituting with cheaper, less-effective fertilizers. Smaller harvests in the upcoming seasons could decrease food production.
While using chemical fertilizer may be the standard practice, its excessive use has downsides. According to a 2022 article by Current Research in Microbial Sciences, these fertilizers can contain pollutants that harm soil quality. Living or latent plant microbes in biofertilizers, on the other hand, can naturally improve plant growth, improve soil fertility, enhance nutrient absorption and increase crop yield. That is because these microorganisms, like fungi, can be beneficial bacteria.
A research team at the University of Córdoba in Spain recently confirmed that a specific strain of fungus stimulated cucumber plants’ response to iron deficiency. This resulted in an increase in and overall growth of the plants in iron-deficient soil. Additionally, countries such as the Philippines will soon offer biofertilizers to local farmers to decrease dependence on the importation of chemical or non-organic fertilizers.
While biofertilizers are not at the stage to replace chemical fertilizers completely, mixing in and substituting with chemical fertilizers is possible, depending on the specific needs. Based on estimates, the value of the biofertilizer market could grow to $3.9 billion in 2025. However, there is a need for further promotion and development to facilitate the distribution of affordable biofertilizers on a large scale for this biotechnology to alleviate food insecurity.
Fermentation
The world population is expected to grow an additional 2 billion by 2050 and meat consumption will likely increase by more than 70%. Lab-grown protein or protein made from precision fermentation could help meet this new demand and feed millions. Precision fermentation, a bio-process for producing protein, uses only a fraction of the land required by the most efficient agricultural means to produce protein. The interest in this new, adaptable process to create alternative proteins is evident in the 136 companies (up 12%) in 2022 that invested in fermentation.
Start-ups such as Solar Food make novel protein powders with a 65-70% protein makeup using this method. The process involves fermenting a microbe in a bioreactor by feeding it nutrients in the air. A thicker substance forms and is later dried and turned into a powder. Solar Food, based in Finland, claims its sustainable process is 20% more efficient than photosynthesis. With one hundred times more efficient in converting energy to calories (compared to animals), it can be an endless food supply. Production will begin in 2024, with every step of the process said to be scalable.
The First Hybrid Center
The first-ever “hybrid meat innovation” center will open in Singapore later in 2023, offering a mix of animal cells, plant-based meat and fermented microbes. Meanwhile, the National University of Singapore achieved high-precision 3-D printing of edible, cell-based meat using plant proteins commonly found in barley, corn and rye flour. This process lowers production costs and is more sustainable than prior versions that used synthetic polymers. Additionally, India, home to the world’s largest cow population, will have the first government initiative to produce lab-grown meat, with the government designating more than $160 billion to the program. Sourcing meat from cow cells rather than animals will likely reduce land use for beef production by up to 95%.
The Future of Biotechnology
As ideal as biotechnology endeavors sound, there is still room for much work with respect to alleviating food insecurity. Some hurdles to overcome include decreasing production costs, ensuring the use of renewable energy and educating farmers. And incentivizing farmers to use biofertilizers and guaranteeing alternative proteins are available to vulnerable populations could be a vital step. If seen not as a novelty trend but as a versatile resource, biotechnology has the potential to eradicate food insecurity in affected areas.
– Clare Calzada
Photo: Flickr
Laos Tourism Industry on the Up
As of 2023, much of the population lives in poverty. In 2013, more than 80% of the population was making under $2.5 dollars per day. Laos, however, is a beautiful country. The landscape features rivers, waterfalls and beautiful architectural sites. The country has become a popular tourist destination due to its natural beauty. Laos has several spas and resorts that operate to encourage tourists to visit and experience comfort and luxury.
COVID-19 Affects Tourism
The COVID-19 pandemic affected many industries, especially tourism. Tourism accounts for 10% of the global gross domestic product and more than 320 million jobs worldwide. As countries went on lockdown, jobs that relied on tourism became severely impacted. More than 100 million jobs were impacted because of the pandemic. Nearly three years since the beginning of the pandemic, many tourism-dependent countries continue to struggle.
The tourism sector in Laos has been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a substantial decline in international tourist arrivals. As reported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the outbreak has led to a staggering 74% reduction in the number of visitors. Consequently, businesses operating within this industry have experienced significant disruption, with a detrimental impact on their overall revenue, estimated to range between 70% and 80%. To address these challenges and foster recovery, the Lao PDR Tourism COVID-19 Recovery Roadmap for the period of 2021 to 2025 has been developed. This strategic plan aims to cultivate a tourism industry that is both resilient and sustainable, capable of withstanding future shocks.
Laos Tourism
Laos’s natural beauty is a spectacle that many people feel inclined to experience. With the reopening of previously locked-down countries, Laos has seen a reemergence of tourists entering the country. The country has opened its borders back up to tourists and is beginning to reap the benefits once again. China has officially allowed its residents to travel again, and because Laos borders China, a lot of its tourism comes from its neighbors to the north. On March 4, Laos set its largest Laos-China highspeed railway record in a single day, with 10,000 passengers entering the country.
In 2019, Chinese tourists accounted for a quarter of the country’s 4.7 million visitors. Laos is now expecting to see more than 1.4 million visitors from foreign countries and generate around $340 million in 2023. Tourism also contributes to job creation in Laos. In 2018, there were more than 114,000 tourism-related jobs created for the local people of Laos.
Looking Ahead
Now that many of the lockdowns have been lifted across Southeast Asia, Laos’s tourism sector looks promising once again. With the continuous influx of Chinese tourists and hopefully more from all around the globe, Laos is looking to restore a vital part of its economy. There is hope that the country can continue to benefit from tourism as it did pre-pandemic.
– Olivia MacGregor
Photo: Flickr
A Closer Look at Tuberculosis in Brazil
Key Facts
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized tuberculosis as a global epidemic for 30 years. Brazil sits at 20th in the world in terms of the number of recorded cases year on year. It is one of 22 countries where the burden of the disease is high based on considerations. As of 2020, the incidence of TB in Brazil was 45 in every 100,000. People with TB in the country often struggle to afford treatment. The care barriers that arise from economic deprivation negatively affect health outcomes for those who have been diagnosed. Also, people with TB cannot access treatment and care and the transmission rates are increasing.
A survey conducted from 2019 to 2021 by the National TB Programme of Brazil alongside the University of Espirito Santo and the Global TB Programme revealed that 48% of TB-impacted households in Brazil had been forced to spend over 20% of their annual income on treatment. The average cost from the onset of symptoms to the conclusion of treatment came to $1573. Certain demographics are also more vulnerable to TB in Brazil. Homeless Brazilians are 56% more likely to contract the disease and those who are in prison have an increased risk of 26%. Furthermore, Brazilians living with HIV/AIDS are 21% more likely to contract TB. As of 2020, 11% of all TB patients with known HIV status were HIV-positive.
Solutions and Progress
As of 2019, the treatment success rate for TB in Brazil was 69%. In 2017, the country made a commitment to eliminate the disease by reducing transmission by 90% and deaths by 95%. Early in 2023, the Brazilian government launched the Inter-ministerial Committee for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and Other Socially Determined Diseases in an effort to meet the aforementioned goals by the end of the decade. The committee will involve collaboration between departments across Brazil’s government. It aims to address the core drivers of the country’s high TB burden, such as poverty, malnutrition and financial insecurity.
Looking Ahead
Although TB treatment is free due to interventions by Brazil’s public health sector, many Brazilians who suffer from the disease also face financial challenges when trying to access high-cost treatment and care. This is especially true for those living in poverty, as they are more likely to go down with the illness. The wide-ranging effects of a TB diagnosis from health, financial and employment difficulties suggest that there is a need for a multisectoral response in efforts to address the crisis. On the bright side, Brazil continues to work toward meeting its target of eliminating the disease by 2030.
– Martha Probert
Photo: Flickr
Diamond Electrodes Provide Safe Water in Rural Africa
The SafeWaterAfrica Project
The SafeWaterAfrica initiative, coordinated by Fraunhofer IST, focuses on targeting water security sustainably and cost-effectively using a combination of pre-existing and new technology. It has developed an innovative water treatment system that will provide easier and safe access to water by efficiently removing harmful pathogens and pollutants. This will also create opportunities for jobs within communities as locals can operate the system, utilizing it as a source of reliable income.
There are two demonstrator plants already working in the water-stressed regions of Mozambique and South Africa, each successfully providing “100m3 of WHO-quality water per day” from river water. South Africa’s unit is near Johannesburg and has been in operation since September 2018. In Mozambique, the unit is in Ressano Garcia and first started providing safe water in April 2019. Due to the environmental and economic benefits of the project, it received the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label award from the Solar Impulse Foundation.
How It Works
Initially, the water undergoes pre-treatment where a salt coagulant converts pollutants into a precipitate which column filtration easily removes. The water is then disinfected and purified using “carbon-based electrochemical oxidation” where the water flows through electrochemical cells with diamond-coated electrodes. Next, two electrodes apply a low voltage current, producing ozone which works to decompose harmful microbes and pollutants, thereby making the water safe to drink. The plants are self-sufficient, sustainable and relatively low-cost because sunlight powers the systems through solar cells and batteries which also protect the environment.
Looking Forward
SafeWaterAfrica has provided accessible sources of safe water, enabling people to spend less time collecting water and increasing school attendance. This initiative has been of particular benefit to girls, as it enables them to pursue greater opportunities for future employment and escape poverty. The flexibility of the technology makes it easy to install in remote and rural areas across sub-Saharan Africa, allowing it to reach those most in need of a safe water supply.
Improved sources of water also lead to less expenditure on health, as people are less likely to become ill due to diseases resulting from that contaminated water. According to the WHO, globally, “more than 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries” and around “2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces.” In light of these facts, projects such as SafeWaterAfrica play a vital role in encouraging development, improving health and livelihood and maximizing future opportunities through the provision of safe water.
– Isla Wright
Photo: Flickr
The Benefits of Drip Irrigation in Developing Countries
On a global scale, only 5% of countries are currently implementing drip irrigation. According to estimates, the drip irrigation market is worth around $4.6 billion and forecasts suggest an increase to $9.4 billion by 2027. Countries like South Africa and Israel effectively use drip irrigation and many other developing countries have started to apply this irrigation technique.
Israel’s Success With Drip Irrigation
The implementation of drip irrigation in Israel has mitigated the impacts of drought and climate change on agricultural production. This process boasts an efficiency rate of 95%-100%, surpassing other methods such as sprinkling by 15%. Drip irrigation plays a crucial role in reducing poverty in Israel. Innovation Africa, a nonprofit organization based in Israel, is dedicated to bringing water, solar energy and agricultural innovations to villages across Africa. Through the use of drip irrigation, a common technique employed by the organization, crop yields are increased, leading to a higher production of food and addressing issues of food scarcity. Innovation Africa has supported 3 million residents through 500 projects in 10 countries.
Developing Nations Implementing Drip Irrigation
Looking Ahead
Drip irrigation holds immense potential to alleviate poverty and improve agricultural productivity in developing countries. The success of countries like Israel, Morocco, Ethiopia and Pakistan in implementing drip irrigation showcases its transformative impact on water conservation, crop yield and livelihoods. As more countries recognize the benefits of this efficient irrigation technique, there is an opportunity to further alleviate poverty, increase food production and promote sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.
– Joshua Rogers
Photo: Flickr
The World Bank Efforts Toward Universal Digital Inclusion
The Digital Development Global Practice
The mission of the World Bank is to help the governments of poorer nations bring their citizens out of poverty. The World Bank’s Digital Development Global Practice was set up to provide governments with finance and knowledge to help improve citizens’ access to digital technologies, enabling them to participate in the digital economy.
In 2021, the World Bank established the Korea Digital Development Program (KoDi) to help developing economies accelerate their digital transformation. The program utilizes Korean technology and best practices to develop a technical knowledge base for the future. This knowledge base will provide nation-specific guides on how to make vital improvements to cybersecurity infrastructure and case studies on data-based economies and ‘greening’ the technology sector.
Strengthening Connectivity in Africa
The Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) is a key World Bank initiative that supports the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020 to 2030). The DE4A aims to achieve universal digital inclusion in Africa by 2030. As part of the initiative, the World Bank has conducted digital economy diagnostics for nearly 40 African countries to assess their present weaknesses and map possible opportunities for growth.
Experts measure digital connectivity by internet access through mobile phones. But high costs and limited broadband keep 4G or equivalent mobile internet out of reach for two-thirds of Africans. By 2030, projections show 90% of mobile subscriptions in North America will have 5G, compared with 10% in sub-Saharan Africa.
World Bank and Digital Economy for Africa
Through the DE4A, the World Bank is investing heavily in Africa’s digital connectivity. Already in Togo in West Africa, investments by the World Bank have helped internet penetration increase to 75% from 5% around a decade ago. The DE4A initiative has also pledged significant financial aid to similar regional projects that will develop digital markets across East and West Africa.
World Bank funding has also benefited Rwanda, an East African nation leading the way in digital inclusion initiatives in Africa. As well as providing 250,000 households with financing for smartphones and other devices, the World Bank has contributed to the training of 3 million Rwandans in basic digital literacy, focussing particularly on women and girls. Meanwhile, in Madagascar, where access to electricity and digital connectivity is among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and the world, a World Bank-funded project is pioneering models of joint digital and off-grid energy provision in rural areas.
Spreading Knowledge and Infrastructure in Latin America
The World Bank also runs a comparable digital inclusion initiative to the DE4A in Latin America. The Digital Economy for Latin America and the Caribbean (DE4LAC) initiative assists governments across the region. The most notable recent work by the DE4LAC has been the one that focuses on strengthening data infrastructure in Argentina. Last year, through this project the World Bank approved a $200 million loan to the Argentinian government to improve digital infrastructure and the uptake of digital tools and technologies. The project aims to benefit 350,000 residents, especially women, across Argentina’s most neglected rural areas.
The DE4LAC is also working across the Caribbean. An ongoing expansion initiative of the region’s 3G networks is providing high-quality internet to more than 95% of the populations of Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This expansion of the 3G network will improve links to markets and access to key services.
In addition to direct funding, the DE4LAC also provides national diagnostics and actionable policy recommendations to help governments in Latin America achieve digital inclusion. In 2022, the World Bank provided El Salvador with a diagnostic to help the country come closer to achieving its vision for digital inclusion set out in the National Digital Agenda 2020-2030. Similar efforts are in the works for Ecuador, Colombia and Jamaica.
Looking Ahead
According to a prediction by the International Telecommunication Union, an additional $428 billion investment needs to go into high-speed broadband development over the next ten years to achieve universal digital inclusion. Ongoing work by the World Bank, particularly in Africa and Latin America, is helping to meet this challenge. By supplying finance as well as diagnostic reports and a knowledge base to the world’s poorest countries, the World Bank is helping to ensure that all will be able to participate in the ongoing “Digital Development revolution”.
– Samuel Chambers
Photo: Wikimedia
Being Poor in Egypt: The Threat of Inflation and Currency Depreciation
Poverty in Egypt: A Resurging Problem
Poverty is resurging in Egypt, with approximately one-third of the population living in impoverished conditions and millions more struggling financially. The nation’s economy continues to face significant challenges, including rising inflation that hampers citizens’ economic and social rights, as well as their access to sufficient food and essential services. In August 2022, annual inflation surged to 15.3%, compared to just over 6% in the same month the previous year.
Furthermore, the Egyptian pound recently hit a historic low against the strengthening U.S. dollar, with an exchange rate of 19.5 pounds to $1. Consequently, this depreciation has widened trade and budget deficits, as the diminishing foreign reserves have resulted in a nearly 10% decline in purchases of grain and fuel in March 2022. For impoverished Egyptians, these economic challenges make life significantly more difficult, as they struggle to meet their basic needs, particularly regarding food. Additionally, the devaluation of the Egyptian Pound in the currency market poses heightened difficulties for the country in importing goods.
Responses
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided some of the much-needed financial aid in Egypt. A recent agreement for a 46-month loan program valued at $3 billion with the Egyptian government aims to attenuate at least some of the monetary issues in the country, including its outstanding debts. The theory behind this is that if Egypt staves off the fears of its defaulting on the national debt, the run on its currency will end, holding greater confidence in the Egyptian economy to stay solvent. If this can be achieved imports would become cheaper and capital will again be able to flow into the country boosting supply shortages. Simply put, this effort aims to increase the Egyptian Pounds value against hard currencies such as the US Dollar and Euro, thereby enabling local individuals and businesses to more easily buy foreign goods and capital that cannot be sourced from within Egypt.
Other nations and organizations have chipped in with a specific focus on agricultural and food issues in Egypt. Japan recently pledged $3.8 million in aid through the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) focused on agricultural development in Egypt. Furthermore, the World Bank approved a $500 million project in Egypt aimed at ensuring all vulnerable families in the country can afford food. This served to strengthen Egypt’s resilience to food crises and support reforms in food security policies. Additionally, the project has tasked itself with monitoring and improving nutritional outcomes in the country.
Looking Ahead
Despite the challenges Egypt faces with its financial crisis and increasing poverty rates, international support is being extended to address these issues. The IMF’s loan program aims to alleviate monetary challenges and restore confidence in the Egyptian economy. Furthermore, contributions from Japan and the World Bank specifically target agricultural development and food security, providing hope for improved resilience and access to essential resources for vulnerable populations in Egypt. These collaborative efforts hold the potential to mitigate the impact of poverty and contribute to a brighter future for the country.
– Christopher Maddocks
Photo: Flickr
Improving Mental Health Care in Ghana
The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that “mental, neurological and substance use disorders account for more than 10% of the global disease burden.” Furthermore, the “lost productivity resulting from depression and anxiety, two of the most common mental disorders, cost the global economy $1 trillion per year.” Concerningly, in developing nations, more than three-quarters of people suffering from mental conditions do not receive adequate care or treatment. In response, the Ghanaian government has taken steps to improve mental health and mental health care in Ghana. However, in 2022, WHO reported that just “2% of Ghana’s 2.3 million people living with mental health conditions [received] psychiatric treatment and support from health facilities.”
Mental Health Care in Ghana
According to the WHO Mental Health Atlas 2020, Ghana allocates approximately 3% of the government’s total health expenditure on mental health care, with 67.8% of this amount going toward funding the services provided in mental health hospitals across the country.
Ghanaians with mental conditions contribute about 20% toward the cost of the mental health services they use, and similarly, about 20% toward the cost of associated medicines.
Although Ghana had been in the developmental stages of the mental health care sector, from 2014 until 2020, the number of mental health care workers per 100,000 population rose by about 2%. According to the 2020 Atlas, Ghana has 39 psychiatrists, 26 psychologists and 2,463 mental health nurses.
Furthermore, Ghana has three official mental hospitals while 250 hospitals across the country have outpatient mental health facilities. Ghana also has 1,016 community-based mental health outpatient facilities, which makes mental health care more accessible.
The major mental health problems in Ghana are schizophrenia, mood disorders and substance abuse. People with mental disorders in Ghana are often ostracized and treated inhumanely, for example, through restrictive measures such as shackling.
Addressing the Inhumane Treatment of Mentally Illness
Human Rights Watch reported at the end of 2022 several eyewitness accounts of shackled people suffering from mental health conditions. In January 2023, at the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Ghana, U.N. Member States called on the government of Ghana to urgently “address the shackling and inhumane treatment of people with mental health conditions in Ghana.”
Several media outlets have reported on the shackling of mentally ill people in Ghana. Human Rights Watch reported, “Families often take people with mental health conditions to faith-based or traditional healers because of widely held beliefs that psychosocial disabilities are caused by curses or evil spirits.” People who are shackled face further issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and muscular atrophy. Furthermore, in these faith-based centers and camps, shackled mentally ill people are confined to small and unhygienic spaces, deprived of basic human needs.
Understanding the Problem
Mental health nurse and founder of the Ghanaian NGO called the Mental Health Advocacy Foundation, Stephen Asante, has a different view. He explains that the use of shackles is not a matter of “abandonment or abuse,” but rather, of poverty and under-resourced health care systems. Families and other caregivers resort to chaining due to a lack of access to medication and adequate mental health care treatment. Asante notes that by addressing underfunding and the lack of mental health care resources in Ghana, the issue of shackling will dissolve.
Due to the cultural stigma surrounding mental health in Ghana, people suffering from mental health conditions object to and fear seeking help. Therefore, many Ghanaians remain suffering in silence. Changes in attitudes toward mental health will require community-wide interventions and campaigns.
Ghana’s mental health budget stands at about 1.4% of its total health care expenditure, according to WHO. This is low in comparison to the 11% that the U.K. committed to mental health care in 2015.
Moving Forward
The Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG) is a grassroots membership association that aims to improve access to quality and affordable mental health care across Ghana. This association is managing to aid 18,000 people suffering from mental illnesses and their caregivers, across Ghana. MEHSOG also aims to advance mental health in Ghana by influencing decision-makers to implement policies that uphold the rights of people with illnesses and the people who care for them.
In February 2021, MEHSOG partnered with the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Associations (GHAFTRAM) to hold three training sessions to train 10 owners and managers of traditional prayer camps and healing centers in Ghana on the rights to bear in mind when treating people with mental health conditions. Michael Osei-Koranteng, the main investigator at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) facilitated these training sessions using his expertise in human rights. Osei-Koranteng highlighted that these facilities must never utilize torture, abuse or any other violations of human rights when dealing with people who have mental conditions.
With greater funding and commitments to upholding the human rights of mentally ill individuals, mental health in Ghana has the potential to significantly improve.
– Louise Kiernan
Photo: Flickr
The White Helmets: The Volunteer Group Giving Aid in Syria
History
Throughout the last decade, Syria has been one of the most unstable countries in the world, due to both political instability and natural causes. The Syrian Civil War, a conflict that began in 2011 and continues even now, is the main reason for this instability. The fighting mostly occurs in urban areas, and it typically involves mass artillery strikes and chemical weapons attacks. As a result, nearly 7 million people have been displaced from their homes, according to World Vision. World Vision also estimates that food insecurity currently affects 12 million people throughout Syria, while nearly half of all Syrians live in poverty as of March 2023.
In addition to the ongoing conflict, the northwest of Syria suffered two massive earthquakes on February 6, 2023. Both earthquakes registered well over 7.0 on the Richter Scale. The devastating earthquakes were responsible for over 7,000 deaths throughout Syria. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDS), 8.8 million people live in the areas that the earthquake impacted, and this dramatically increases the need for humanitarian aid in the country.
Making an Impact
Over the course of the Syrian Civil War, the White Helmets have provided invaluable aid to those in need. Its official website estimates that the efforts of the White Helmets “saved more than 100,000 lives over the past five years.” The volunteers began with urban search and rescue teams, often scouring through the rubble of bomb sites to find survivors.
The White Helmets continue to make an impact today as it provides earthquake relief. In the early stages of recovery from the earthquakes, the Syria Civil Defense was able to save over 3,000 people, helping pull people from the rubble of destroyed buildings, delivering food and medicine to those in need and distributing medical care all around the affected area.
The Story Continues
Now an influential organization, the White Helmets began as nothing more than groups of everyday people who wanted to look out for others. When the Syrian Civil War first began, there was little to no effective infrastructure to help those hurt in bombings, shootings and a variety of other deadly hazards that the war caused. Despite a total lack of organization and incredible danger, the first members of the White Helmets took it upon themselves to help those in need.
The institution has come a long way since those days, as it has become one of the most well-known aid organizations currently operating in Syria. The White Helmets got a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. Although it didn’t win the prize, the publicity gained from the nomination was invaluable. In 2016, a documentary titled The White Helmets won an Oscar for best short subject documentary. The White Helmets’ impact has earned recognition from around the globe, and the organization’s work continues to make a difference.
– Ezra Bernstein
Photo: Flickr