WHY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP?

Would you like to have a bigger slice of a smaller pie or a smaller slice of a bigger pie?

The purpose in life is to collaborate for a common cause; the problem is that, more often than not, we struggle to define what a 'common cause is' nobody seems to know what it is.

 Meaningful partnerships are the foundation for success and Gede has recognised that from the onset and until now, continue to build on existing and future opportunities.  Gede has made continuous improvements by sharing with others and directing its resources and capabilities to projects considered most important to mankind. Gede's mandate is to bring underserved and stigmatised health burdens out of the shadows through research, partnerships and advocacy - but, in reality, partnerships are the essential building block to everything we do.

As an organisation that addresses stigmatized and underserved health burden, the success so far has been linked to genuine partnership with relevant stakeholders especially on the field of HIV-AIDS and Mental Health. This has allowed Gede to establish a Coalition in Nigeria, of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) group, known as Global Awareness for Mental Health Association, with increasing membership from different organizations for the sole aim of mainstreaming and promoting Mental Health in various thematic areas of their interventions. In practical, non NGO terms, this means aiming for a far wider understanding of mental health than is currently the case across society.

The work of this Coalition will collectively bring to the front burner, the need to educate, advocate and sensitize communities within different target populations on Mental Health.

Finding Your Patch of Heaven

As we continue our dialogues and efforts to support mental health, I think it’s also worth sharing the measures we take as individuals to ensure our personal level of mental stability. 

I was raised in a humble home surrounded by plants – growing, flowering, fruit-bearing plants.  When I was growing up, family time was equated to planting, weeding, watering the plants and harvesting fruits or picking flowers.  The smell of newly-cultivated fertile soil, uprooted weeds and blooming flowers make me feel at home.  Gardening is a relaxing hobby for me; it keeps me sane.  Seeing the seeds I’ve sown sprout into life gives me a deep sense of accomplishment and anticipation.  They say if you chose you vocation very well, you will never need a vacation.  I think this is a rarity in the real modern world.  We all need respite from the mundane and stressful struggles of life.  Some people spend time on sports, travels, shopping, writing, crocheting, with pets, etc.  We all just have to find that patch of heaven where we can draw some peace of mind and balance.

This is my patch of heaven; what’s yours? 

Not Just Another Set of Statistics -Jeremy Boglosa,Performance Director:ODSS

The highlights of research studies are generally expressed in numbers, statistics.  But having been a researcher myself in various capacities, I acknowledge that there is a real person with a real-life story behind each statistic. 

As one of the Supervisors for the Prevalence Study on Depression, Alcohol Use and Suicidality Among the HIV Population in the FCT,  and having attended the weekly feedback meetings from the sites, the stories I hear from the interviewers take me back to my days as an interviewer in the field.  I remember how enriching the experience of having direct interaction with your respondents was.  In fact, I think the interviewers get the most exciting albeit demanding role in a research team.  Demanding in a sense that one has to make sure logistics are in place, protocols are observed, data is gathered as recommended, confidentiality chain is kept and all the other responsibilities that come with being an interviewer.  I also consider the role very exciting because of the human interaction that sometimes becomes unpredictable yet challenging as it requires one to maintain his professionalism without losing that human connection.  This is what happens during our weekly feedback sessions with the interviewers.  We talk about numbers and accomplishments (and learn from our mistakes, too) but we also look at the human side of the story, not the personalities/identities of course, but their stories.  This process of being in touch with the human side of the research process keeps us rooted to the main reason why we are doing it in the first place --- to address issues that affect human beings; not just to showcase statistics. 

People Act Responsibly When They Care-Jeremy Boglosa Gede's PD:ODSS

Gede Foundation’s programme review (which will last for a couple or more weeks) started yesterday with informal brainstorming in a very relaxed setting.  When the day’s session was about to close, a personal experience shared by the Managing Director struck me and made me think --- Why indeed do we (as Gede Foundation) focus on stigmatized and underserved health burdens when the world does not care about the issues that we advocate for?  Do we, as development professionals, waste our talents, skills, knowledge, time, energy and resources on unpopular issues and seem to fall into deaf ears, unmindful minds and uncaring hearts? 

I needed sometime to further reflect on these questions and look for an inspiration within me.  Otherwise, I may end up losing interest in the Foundation’s cause and may eventually lose interest in giving my best into my role in the Foundation.  Being employed is good but working with an organization whose values, culture and causes/mandate are similar with mine is a blessing.  So, are we working on an issue that people truly care about? Are we dealing with issues that really get people’s attention?  The obvious answer is NO.  In the first place, they won’t be categorized as underserved and stigmatized health burdens if enough attention and resources are given to them.  Gede Foundation is currently focusing on the “underdogs” of social/health issues!  That’s the sad truth. 

However, if we do not start the discussions and establish the facts that these issues are worth talking about, investing on and advocating for --- who would?  This is what Gede Foundation would want to be known for --- an advocate for the underdogs of social/health issues.  We encourage the marginalized population directly affected by mental health disorders to show that they care and influence the rest of the world to listen and find that reason why they should care.  For it is only when people care that they act responsibly. 

Please join us as we bring that “big elephant in the room” out of the shadows. 

I give credit to the work of Meg Wheatley for putting words into my thoughts.  If you want to know more about her Ten Principles for Creating Healthy Communities, visit this site: https://sites.google.com/site/ticstcc/margaret-wheatley-s-ten-principles-for-creating-healthy-communities.

Are you one of those paying the price for corruption induced poverty?

The heavy downpour in the city of Abuja, Nigeria today 29th July 2015 was not enough reason to keep participants from coming into Gede Foundation for the second July edition of the Mental Health Dialogue. It was an appointment to keep and was made worth their while with the dynamic and very informed presenter, Ekwoyi Ochigbo of the Dutse Care & Support Group under his topic ‘The Price of Corruption induced Poverty! What is it and Who pays? Kept the audience glued to their seats from start to finish with the mind blowing facts that he presented on corruption and poverty in Nigeria.  He further explained how greed, selfishness and indiscipline are the pre-requisites to corruption which eventually impoverish the majority and bring about mental health issues and   anti-social behavior such as youth restiveness, sectorial violence, terrorism, kidnapping etc., while others include substance related disorders, which are increasing in prevalence throughout the country.

 The discussion time was soon exhausted as almost every participant had one thing or the other to say. Watch this space for more interesting sessions of the Mental Health Dialogue - Mrs Solape Obamijoko

What happens when we do NOT learn?

It is only when an organization reflects on this question that it will realize the importance of learning. Drawing from the works of experts on organisational learning such as Peter Senge and from the various models influenced by his works, let us talk about the most common factors that drive organizational learning:First, there is the permanence of change.  It does not require rocket science to explain this fact.  Change is an essential dimension of organizational (and individual) life and no matter how much we talk about “change fatigue”, the reality will never go away.  Instead of resisting change, we have to acknowledge it and see change as an opportunity to learn and adapt so that we will be better able to fulfill our purpose. Secondly, as a product of constant change, we are now operating in a knowledge age driven by information technology that seems to evolve every day.  The efficient use of information technology requires a workforce that can evolve as technology evolves.

This means that in order to catch up with fast pace of technological evolution, learning is not only a process that a worker goes through in preparation for a career.  Learning has become an essential part of what it means to do the job well.  Then the knowledge worker is born.  Although we often refer to the knowledge worker as the tech savvy individual or the technical professional, if we reflect on how much technology has influenced our lives, we can conclude that we are all becoming knowledge workers. The value of what we produce depends on what we know and what we know depends on what we have learned and can learn.

  Learning is not only the set of knowledge we gained from school but also from what we learn on the job and from other people/organizations.  And last but not the least, there is the reality of competitiveness.  As I quote Senge (1990), “the rate at which organizations learn may become the only sustainable source of competitive advantage”. And as the famous Reg Revans presented in his Learning Action Set: for an organisation to survive, its rate of learning must be at least equal to the rate of change in its external environment.   So what happens when we do NOT learn? 

This is just the beginning of our discussion on organizational learning.  Please visit this site again for more interesting topics on organizational learning. 

GEDE TO HOST DR ROSIE MAYSTON, SENIOR RESEARCHER, CENTRE FOR GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH, KING’S COLLEGE LONDON AUGUST 2015

During August 17-21 2015, Gede will host the visit to Nigeria of Dr Rosie Mayston, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Global Mental Health at King’s College London. The visit follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Foundation and the Centre which will develop ways in which mental health can be integrated into the treatment of HIV-AIDS in ways which deliver both positive mental health and HIV outcomes. During the course of her first visit to Nigeria, in addition to working with Gede to assess ways in which the Foundation’s cutting edge 2015 Prevalence Survey can be built on over time, Dr Mayston will deliver, as part of Gede’s Mental Health Dialogue Programme, a presentation on her innovative work in Goa, India, investigating mental health, HIV and access to care

Interviewer’s Experience with GEDE –Lincoln Egbe

I recently got a temporary appointment as an interviewer in Nigeria’s first and biggest prevalence study on Depression, Alcohol use and Suicidality among a sample of people living positively with HIV in Abuja conducted by Gede foundation and IHVN. At first I didn’t quite know what to expect and how the whole study was going to be but presently after the training and interactions with the team at Gede and at one of the Sites (Garki Hospital), I am very confident about the success of this project.

I have particularly been impressed with the warmness and reception I have received since I started this job. From the security to the desk officer to the more senior officers at Gede they have all been such fantastic friendly people and even at the site for data collection the reception was very warm and I just can’t wait for the outcome of the Study.

Prevalence Study Site Visits-Godwin, Performance Director and Supervisor for the Prevalence Study

As a supervisor on the project, I am mandated to contribute to the validity of data by ensuring that all logistic issues work as planned as well as offering support to interviewers, data collectors and coordinators. This requires a significant amount of interaction with Team Members but also allows me to see and assess key issues at first hand. As I am also very interested in the practical ways in which project impact on those involved with them, I always look forward to visiting sites and engaging with as many stakeholders as possible –especially when the initiative is as innovative as our Prevalence Study of Mental Health conditions within a large sample of people living with HIV-AIDS. Last week, I have had opportunity to interact with our facility based data collector and found the following exchange interesting-

 Godwin: Hi Dozie, I am sure all is getting on well with the data collection? Can you share with me briefly which of the modules that respondents screen the more?

 Dozie: Alcohol Use

 Godwin: In all the three modules-Depression, Alcohol Use and Suicidality, which of the modules are you surprised regarding respondents feedback and why?

 Dozie: Suicidality. This is because I feel that majority of my respondents have so much regards/respect for their faith and tend to feel that they have no reason to commit suicide. However, few are screened for suicidality.

Watch this space for more on site interactions with major Stakeholders in the study

Children with Mental Health Challenges...What Next?

Having a child who is challenged mentally could cause a number of people to shy away or shield such a child from society. But can one really blame them? At today’s Mental Health Dialogue session, Lola Aneke, certified Special Educator, Consultant, CEO of Comprehensive Autism and Related Disability Education and Training  (CADET) Academy in Abuja, took participants through a series of stages which parents go through after a child has been diagnosed. These stages range from denial to depression and finally acceptance. She started her very stimulating session with conducting an exercise aimed at making participants put themselves in the shoes of children with mental disorders. In responding to a question on if one can really tell if a child has a particular disorder based on certain behavior,  Lola mentioned that it was wrong to say a child is having a disorder without the child having been diagnosed.

Participants were informed about different stages of disorders among growing children and were also educated on how to guide children with mental disorders until treatment/correction is achieved.

One of the biggest challenges especially among teachers is the inability to spot these disorders among pupils in schools and Lola is recommending that teachers within this category be trained on how to recognise and address these disorders-to help parents and their children.

Watch this space for more interesting clips from Gede’s Mental Health Dialogue sessions.