NBCC Partners With AU-SARO to Provide Mental Health Facilitator Training in Malawi and Zambia

NBCC recently partnered with the African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AU-SARO) to train school personnel and stakeholders in Malawi and Zambia to become Mental Health Facilitators (MHFs). The curriculum for this pilot program was specifically created to train teachers and others who work with learners in schools.

AU-SARO was established to foster and maintain productive relationships between the AU and its 16 member states. In October of 2022, NBCC and AU-SARO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to unify their commitment to improve the availability of mental health services in sub-Saharan Africa through NBCC’s MHF program, especially to African youth. Initially created in 2003 in response to and in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the MHF program trains people outside the mental health field to reduce stigma, identify those in need, and help them to access care. Since then, NBCC has held MHF trainings in 36 countries.

The need for mental health care in Africa is tremendous. Studies conducted by the World Health Organization have shown that 70% of African countries spend less than 1% of their budgets on mental health. In addition, UNICEF research shows that in Africa, 50% of mental health conditions start by age 14, making its younger population especially vulnerable.

To address this need, NBCC hosted a virtual MHF Master Training in May that included Malawian counselors nominated by the Guidance and Counselling Association of Malawi (GCAM) and Zambian counselors chosen by the National Guidance and Counselling Association of Zambia (NAGCAZ) to lead the MHF pilot programs in their countries.

In June, Wendi Schweiger-Moore, PhD, NCC, LCMHC, NBCC’s Director for Global Capacity Building, and Eugenie Yang, MS, NCC, Global Capacity Building Manager, traveled to Lilongwe, Malawi, and Lusaka, Zambia, to conduct further training with teachers and school stakeholders. Sessions were led by the new Master Trainers.

“We are very excited about launching this partnership with AU-SARO,” said Dr. Schweiger-Moore. “It is an incredible opportunity to utilize the MHF program toward increasing mental health capacity for learners in schools while being able to count on the program implementation expertise of AU-SARO staff and the mental health expertise of the Malawian and Zambian counselors. It is an ideal MHF partnership.”

MHF Master Trainers are local mental health professionals and are coached in MHF curriculum delivery and become familiar with the mental health knowledge and skills offered in the curriculum related to helping, diversity, violence and trauma, suicide prevention, and referral and consultation. 

Diana Nyirenda and Lexa Chimango Banda recently became MHF Master Trainers in Malawi. Both agree that the program addresses a critical need by providing teachers with knowledge and tools to help learners and, in turn, their communities.

“I believe the Mental Health Facilitator program in Malawi’s schools is a transformative initiative that not only addresses the urgent mental health needs of our learners, but also equips teachers with essential skills to foster a supportive learning environment,” Ms. Nyirenda says. “By prioritizing mental health and well-being alongside academic achievement, we are paving the way for a healthier, more resilient generation that is better prepared to face their current life challenges and those of the future.”

Ms. Chimango Banda appreciates that the MHF program better prepares teachers and will lead to improved access to mental health care for Malawi’s young people.

“For teachers, the MHF program means acquiring basic knowledge to identify, understand, and define mental health issues in their schools and even communities,” she says. “The knowledge then enables them to recognize signs and symptoms of the most common mental health challenges and illnesses among the learners to be able to offer necessary support to those struggling and in need.

“For the learners, the MHF program means empowering them to play an active role in addressing and finding possible solutions for mental health challenges affecting their lives,” Ms. Chimango Banda continues. “Through the MHF program, learners can carry out mental health awareness activities in their schools and communities, and they can help to contribute to more effective mental health interventions.”

Thomas Syamujaye is an MHF Master Trainer in Zambia who stresses the critical need for mental health services in his country.

“There is a rising number of mental health cases among our students in Zambia,” he says. “Many students are not coping with stress related to social issues and pressure at school. They have nowhere to turn to, and very few cases are ever reported.

“Teachers, on the other hand, lack mental health training and resources to respond to the growing demand on mental health,” Mr. Syamujaye continues. “Therefore, MHF is highly appreciated, because it offers a lifeline to our desperate learners. It can be described as ‘a sinking boat, with many desperate and struggling people on the boisterous waters, all looking for a way to get to the lifeboats.’ MHF is that lifeboat, and no one should be left to sink to the bottom of the sea.”

Ms. Euodia Kapuwamba Nakwenda also recently became an MHF Master Trainer in Zambia. She has witnessed the demands that teachers regularly experience and the resulting effects on their health.

“Teachers are an essential resource in our schools, and so is their mental health. However, they often experience high levels of stress and burnout due to overpopulated classrooms, high expectations by learners, parents, and administrators, coupled with their anxiety of life,” she says. “The MHF program has come as a relief to the burden that has overwhelmed the teaching profession in Zambia. The program will help the teachers achieve a better work-life balance and keep a positive outlook amidst the many mental health challenges and setbacks they may encounter in the classroom, in school, and in life in general.”

Alleviating some of the stress that teachers face will lead to better mental health outcomes for learners, as well, Ms. Kapuwamba Nakwenda says.

“Teachers’ mental health directly affects how well learners learn and to what extent they will be motivated to enjoy school. Through this program, both teachers and learners will be helped to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and myths that have dominated our communities and created a barrier to mental health awareness. This program will further make it easier for learners to seek help when overwhelmed with stress and the anxieties of life, hence fostering a caring environment where learners feel safe and comfortable. This will translate into a strengthened educational system where teacher quality will be enhanced, and learners will be able to succeed in all areas of personal and academic development. Teachers will lead the way, and learners will not only learn, but want to learn.”

As NBCC’s Global Capacity Building Manager, Yang is excited about the expansion of the MHF program.

"Due to the success of the pilot program, we look forward to scaling up the process by facilitating more trainings to reach additional teachers to best benefit their learners. The partnered associations and skilled master trainers in Malawi and Zambia will continue to be an integral part of the program expansion.”

For more information about the MHF program, visit the NBCC Foundation website.