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The long way of recovery

All the participants observed that the training and the coming together helped them to reflect and plan for their recovery, as well as to identify barriers and bottlenecks in their recovery process. 

One of the participants observed that, while he was in active use of multiple drugs which included alcohol, tobacco, kubel and mordicate, no one used to trust him with anything, both at home and at the place of work. Clients at the workplace refused to be served by a “mlevi”, while others would openly declare that if it is “mlevi” who is on duty, they better seek services elsewhere. After attending a similar workshop in late 2018, he realized he can manage without alcohol and substance use and therefore he resolved to change his life after numerous incidences of humiliation, disrespect and being termed as lost and useless. 

He sought addiction counselling services in the programme and together with his addiction counsellor he developed a recovery plan that he tried to follow without much success. Cravings and peer pressure took him back to using drugs and the guilt that came after made him avoiding his counselling sessions with lame excuses. The counsellor followed him up and after several incidences of avoiding him, they met and he realized that the counsellor did not condemn him but instead encouraged him to try in-patient rehabilitation, an option he had completely refused before. With time he realized it was the only way out and as a result, he accepted to undergo an in-patient rehabilitation. In his words, he said: “This is my seventh month in recovery, and I am realizing the beauty of life I had forfeited for so long. At home and workplace, I am entrusted with almost everything, I am treated with honour and respect and my health has improved tremendously. This training has strengthened me to continue recovering and becoming better in life”.  

What we do

Psychosocial support

psychosocial

 

People affected by drug abuse and mental illness struggle with various life challenges that puts pressure on the mental wellbeing. This is not limited only to those who are directly affected but also the significant others and other members of the family. The programme therefore adopted a household approach in offering counseling services including family therapy to ensure psychological wellness of the entire family. These services are offered under the auspices of the community counseling centre where the programme mobilizes counselors from the community who in turn offer free services to clients using St. Martin facilities.

Building Resilient Livelihoods

 

sustainable

 

Establishing Sustainable Livelihoods: We believe in long-term solutions. Through our unique approach, we train 20 “Sustainable Livelihood champions” Trainers of Trainers, cascading valuable knowledge on protection, diversification, and resilience to climate change to 200 beneficiaries. This ensures a lasting impact and empowers communities to thrive independently.

Capacity Building

capacity building

 

The programme trains the following stakeholders as follows;

  • Community volunteers – They are trained on basic mental health information and community mobilization so that they may be able to identify and refer people with mental illness to appropriate support system. 
  • People affected by mental illness and addiction – As the people directly affected by mental illness and addiction, they are trained on various topics to enable them gain greater insight into their lives, adhere to treatment and take charge of their lives. 
  • Significant others of the beneficiaries – These are the close relatives of the beneficiaries who are trained to build their capacity to effectively support the recovery of their kin affected by mental illness and addiction.
  • Other stakeholders including chiefs, institutions, village elders among others who play a role in addressing mental health concerns in the community.

Promote Child Participation 

child participation

 

The project targets 72 primary schools in Laikipia County. In each school, a platform for children to air their views is created through the Children’s Government where children leaders are empowered to become change agents. Children, members of these governments are trained on child rights and responsibilities, meaningful child participation, role of children as duty bearers, lifeskills, public interaction skills and methods of awareness creation.

 

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