Tap Elderly Women’s Wisdom for Youth (TEWWY) has made a move to tackle mental health disorders and prevent suicide cases in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

During the launch of the non-governmental organisation’s website that addresses mental health issues, founder of TEWWY, Rustica Tembele, raised concerns over the rise in suicide cases in the country.

Tembele explained that there was no data on how big the situation was in Tanzania.

Globally, one person commits suicide after every 40 minutes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

‘WHO, therefore, suggests that over 800,000 people commit suicide a year’, she said.

Tembele said her organisation had trained about 15 middle-aged women to reach out to society members with mental health complications.

She said the women have basic skills of identifying mental health challenges and best ways of intervening before the situation aggravates and leads to suicide.

‘Some people end up being frustrated and contemplate suicide due to lack of hope in economic or social settings’, she said.

‘They include joblessness, disasters, diseases, and loss of loved ones.

‘To widen psychosocial innervations, TEWWY has launched an interactive website’.

She commended the health minister for addressing mental health challenges, saying that the move will reduce suicide cases.

Chairperson of Mental Health Association of Tanzania, Dr Isaack Lema, suggested that excessive alcohol consumption was one of the main causes of mental health disorders.

Source: Daily News

Photo source: World Bank Photo Collection