PROMEHY which means; Promotion of Mental Health Amongst Youths is a project funded by Grand Challenges Canada/Grand Défis Canada for youths from the ages of 10 to 24 located in the Fako Division (Buea, Limbe, Tiko and Mutengene), Southwest Region of Cameroon

In Cameroon, mental health discussions are often met with resistance and stigma from parents, youth, and institutions. Lifafa Research Foundation is addressing this issue through the PROMEHY project, which aims to enhance mental health services for young people in the Fako Division. Our approach involves providing mental health services for young people in underserved municipalities in the Fako Division, Southwest region of Cameroon, by training community-based peer educators (8) and school-based guidance counsellors (6) on creating mental health awareness, screenings, providing psychological first aid, mental health assessments, and referrals to Lifafa’s clinical psychologists. Our clinical psychologists visit communities and schools on a monthly basis to offer free counselling to youths identified by our peer educators and guidance counsellors. In addition to these counselling sessions, our team conducts mental health awareness tours across community and school settings. These tours will include mental health screenings, resilience-building workshops, and additional counselling sessions. To extend our reach and provide support where physical contact is challenging, we also leverage social media platforms—including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp—as well as a blog series. This digital approach has facilitated ongoing communication, virtual support, and broader engagement with young people.

Launched in April 2023 in Buea, Fako Division, South West Cameroon, this project funded by Grand Challenges Canada is a collaborative and collective effort by the Lifafa Research Foundation, with support from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Youths Affairs and Civic Education. Support was also confirmed with administrative authorization from the regional delegation of secondary education. The launch event was graced by representatives from these ministries, along with local youths, partners, University Institutes offering health sciences, local associations or organizations and health institutions. Our initiative is dedicated to enhancing and strengthening youth mental health across Buea, Tiko, Mutengene, and Limbe I by establishing local mental health services for youths aged 10 to 24 years in these communities and some selected state owned secondary schools. This comprehensive program focuses on raising mental health awareness, providing psychological first aid, expanding access to specialized mental health services, and offering virtual support. By addressing mental health stigmas and providing necessary resources, we aim to foster a supportive environment for youth and ensure they have the tools and support they need for their well-being.



ABOUT THE INNOVATION
This project aims to;
- Raise awareness among guidance counsellors and community peer educators
- Train school guidance counsellors and community peer educators to prevent mental illness among students and young people, screen for common mental disorders, manage common mental health problems and call on mental health specialists for cases of mental illness;
- Deploy guidance counsellors and trained community peer educators within schools and communities so that they ensure ongoing awareness of students and out-of-school youths on mental health and implement the training received.
- Set up an official Facebook page and a WhatsApp account to virtually raise awareness among young people about mental health and facilitate communication between these young people and guidance counsellors or peer educators’ community.
- Manage cases of mental illness through the Mental Health Caravan. This concept consists of periodically involving experts within both schools and communities through mental health tours which will aim to take care of cases of mental illness detected by guidance counselors and community peer educators.
Preventing mental illness involves providing personal development and psychosocial skills development courses and giving advice through support sessions.
Screening for mental disorders consists of detecting cases of mental disorders through observation, support sessions, interviews and the administration of diagnostic tests according to a clearly defined protocol.
Treating common mental health problems involves resolving the problems of stress, fear, poor self-esteem and lack of self-confidence among young people in the community.
The call to mental health specialists for the management of cases of mental illness will consist of instilling in guidance counsellors and community peer educators the ethical and moral values necessary for the successful completion of the project.

