‘MoveForMentalHealth’ Campaign in Mauritius
On the 1st of October 2020, we lauched our first campaign in support of #MoveForMentalHealth Campaign by World Health Organization, United for Global Mental Health and Go Speak Your Mind UK.
Ey Twa! Mental Health Awareness in Mauritius is a facebook platform created on 10th September 2020 in view to create visibility about the stigma surrounding mental health issues. One of the main aim about our awareness campaign is to promote emotional wellbeing and social happiness.
More than 50 Mauritian participated in the cause.
Mental Health is not only about illnesses rather the conditions we live everyday. We have all witnessed or heard about extreme stressors with confinement periods,the economic and ecological crisis. We can relate to how people were stressed about their subsistence and lack physical activities, worried about elderly people or babies,confronted fake news and some faced violence at home.
In less than a month, we have attained more than 6k reach and 3k engagement on the platform.
We talked on mental health as an issue of ‘’les zot’’(the others) and enough to make it such a morbid subject. Rather than celebrating lives, creating social happiness or even giving the best of oneself, we only thought of mental health =sickness, illness. But no! We are here and we need to move towards helping each other, uplifting, empowering and simply being humanitarian.
Our main collaborators were Rotaract Club of Port Louis, Rotaract Club Mahebourg, UoM Students’ Human Rights Society, Centre for Counselling & Mindfulness, Mind Matters MRU, Art For A Cause Mauritius,YOUR Mental Health Matters and National Archives Staff Welfare Association
Not only is ‘Mental Health’ a taboo but it brings down to a further a marginalised and vulnerable societal group in the society. We do find in our mauritian society resistance to changes. The taboo is embeded in our slangs, languages, culture, mindset and approaches. Lack of visibility and appreciation lead to a generalised perception of the stigma attached to mental health. We find a normality in judging someone facing mental illness as someone who is weak in mind, incapable of performing effectively. but history has shown us the contary.
Take for example, Nobel Laureate John Nash, “a mathematical genius”, who was awarded the Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on game theory and he developed paranoid schizophrenia.
Change will come, slowly but surely. I believe if everyone among us were to help one person, how many people would have been saved today, happy and dignified?
Have access to our photo campaign on: https://www.instagram.com/eytwa_mauritius/?hl=fr
Join our conversations at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/613565082656477/
Email us at: eytwamauritius@gmail.com
Location: Mauritius
