Orygen Global has partnered with Ganizo, a public benefit organisation in Zambia. Ganizo provides mental and brain health awareness, fundraising support and multicultural training focused on youth mental health literacy and services. Orygen is supporting Ganizo in upskilling youth mental health advocates and people living with mental health conditions by promoting literacy and linking supports to the Zambian health system.
Ganizo has been working to promote emotional intelligence through practicing elements of emotional hygiene around Zambian urban young people who are at high risk of mental health concerns. Ganizo promotes mental health literacy in Zambian communities by starting culturally relevant conversations to break myths and stigma of mental health.
Ganizo has been implementing community outreach awareness workshops, pairing young people with mentors and peers, to make the case for prioritising youth mental health and share best practices for emotional hygiene and wellbeing. The goal is to normalize and spread the conversation on mental health, including substance use disorders, while promoting a culture change among youth in attitudes toward seeking mental health services.
The project aims to build community resilience by empowering youth to make meaningful contributions through emotional hygiene practices including:
- learning the seven universal emotions;
- understanding emotional hygiene;
- practicing the art of reflective listening; and
- understanding positive approaches that will aid the prevention of mental health issues and the willingness to seek out mental health services when needed.
“The expertise that Orygen Global shares with Ganizo is invaluable, but what is even more helpful for us is the willingness of Orygen Global to listen and adapt based on our needs here in Zambia. Their framework is flexible by design, and the team consistently works with me to co-create solutions that make sense here – whether in program design, advocacy and training delivery, evaluation or youth involvement. I’m very pleased with our partnership,” Dr Naeem Dalal, Psychiatrist, Mental Health and Psychosocial Consultant, Public Health Chairperson of Zambia Medical Association, Orygen Global Advisor