KOSHISH

                                         Mental Health Self Help Organization

                                             “VOICE OF VOICELESS”

Introduction

Koshish is a non-profit Mental Health Self Help organization registered in 2008. However, it has been working informally and voluntarily on mental health issues since 2004. During this time Koshish had successfully rehabilitated dozens of cases which encouraged the organization to register with the District Administrative Office in Kathmandu, with the approval of the Nepal Social Welfare Council and population and health ministry of Nepal. The KOSISH self help organization evolved from the experiences of mentally suffering people and their families to form a support group and advocacy for their rights. Thus the concept of collaboration includes experienced people engaged in mental health service activities; mental illness experienced families and mental health professionals at strategic levels but more then 1/3 executive members are from users and survivors of psychiatry.

Koshish Main Motto

The Koshish main motto is to break the mental health silence through its mental health services. Koshish includes every stakeholder ranging from mentally ill people, and mental health services, to the top level of the Nepal Government System in the urgent discussion on the issues of exposing the extreme evil stigma and discriminations rooted in the grassroots level of Nepali communities. The users of mental health service are proud of whom they are and how productive they have become, and strive to be accepted with dignity, rather than discriminations and stigma to have their rights respected and be included in society. Without the inclusion of these users, the whole health delivery system in Nepal is imperfect.

Koshish Vision

The vision of Koshish is to facilitate in the development of Nepali society where; mental health will receive a priority emphasis, and where it becomes a mainstream issue in the country; where mental illness sufferers receive respect, an inclusive social environment in every family and community; where mental health receives proportional resources with other health services within the Nepal Government budget.

 KOSISH Mission to:

·        Empower mental health service users and their families to advocate for better treatment for both patients and citizens as this is their right

·        Facilitate building a national mental health rights-based advocacy network,

·        Formulate plans, programs and execute a strong rights-based awareness and advocacy to target grass roots community, top level government, bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies

·        Monitor and evaluate treatment services for quality and accessibility to the users and their families

Our values:

INFORMED

People with experience of mental distress drive all we do.

DETERMINED

We will never give up challenging discrimination; continue campaigning for better mental health.

DIVERSITY

We respect everyone’s experience and ensure inclusion at the heart of our work. We accept mental disorders as a human diversity.

INTEGRITY

Our independence ensures our integrity – we are never compromised.

PARTNERSHIP

We are committed to working with national and international organizations to achieve our mission.

Strategic Objectives:        

·        To raise awareness and advocacy for mental health policies, plans and inclusiveness of mental health services in the general health system in Nepal.

·        To establish a strong mechanism in national and global collaborative networking to raise our voice.

·        To explore policies for comprehensive community based rehabilitation strategy in Nepal.

·        To organize, develop and empower the Mental Health Self Help group and its movement.

Specific objectives:

1. Mental health and rights based awareness programs to policy makers and other stakeholders related to health, human right and disabilities by the year 2012.

2. Human rights oriented advocacy (according to WHO mental health legislation) program for pressurizing, strengthening and mainstreaming mental health issues to integrate in primary health care system and disabilities rights. Advocacy programs initiated in national policies and inclusion rights in the constitutional assembly to promote mental health by central level government by 2011.

3. To facilitate structural network of a national level leadership advocacy forum to include mental health service users and survivors, their families, professional expertise and representative of human rights stakeholders to raise our voice from national level. As well as raise our voice on entering national and global collaborative network by the year 2011.

4. To pressurize government to increase human resources with attractive scheme and fellowship program. To organize capacity building and skill trainings for GPS, social workers, users groups, peer groups and health practitioners to increase human resource to decentralize mental health services.

KOSHISH Current Activities

·        Facilitating to establish a national mental health leadership advocacy forum

·        Visiting daily to the policy levels: government officials, political leaders and other stakeholders to sensitize them about the current situation of mental health.

·        Voice raising  through mental health service users, survivors and their families about the inclusion of mental health in the constitution assembly

·        Entering in national and international human rights and disabilities related networking

·        Actively campaigning to move the government to ratify CRPD protocols and to facilitate in the implementation of CRPD principles.

·        Voluntarily providing counseling services for needy encounter clients, especially in the government Patan Mental Hospital.

·        Facilitating weekly peer education programs for Koshish members

·        Developing a network of governmental and non-governmental national and international organizations to work collaboratively.

·        Koshish works to habilitate homeless mentally ill people with their families and communities.

Koshish future plan

·        To facilitate community based mental health programs; starting in a few districts and ultimately covering each district of the country.

·        Elimination of extreme evil stigma for people affected from mental illness.

·        To facilitate livelihood programs for mental health service users and their families for fullness of life, self respect and self dignity.

The following case studies are of people who have been rehabilitated through the help of Koshish:

New life for Raju

Raju is a 28 year-old man from the western part of Nepal who is mentally ill. Raju worked for eleven years in the Nepal Army during the armed conflict between the government of Nepal and Maoist rebels from 1997 to 2007.

 During his military career he encountered conflict situations several times. Unfortunately, for two years Raju had been severally mentally ill and was treated in extremely inhumane ways. Due to his severe mental illness Raju’s wife left him and his two sons are living with their grandparents.

There were two factors leading to inaccessibility for Raju treatment: One is little awareness in Nepal regarding treatment for mental illness and the 2^nd factor was that Raju’s parents were unable to pay for his treatment. Since the beginning of December 2008 Raju had received treatment for his mental illness. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic. He is better day by day. We are glad to facilitate in his treatment. If we were not able to help he and his family would be at great risk. Now he is doing household work and helping his family in every work.

Chandra Maya habilitated after 25 years

Chandra Maya is a 54 year old woman from the Gorkha district. She was abandoned by her family and labeled as a bahulai (crazy women) on the streets and community for 25 years due to mental illness.

Her family was not aware that mental illness could be treated. Six months ago she was met and cared for by Koshish staff on the street of Tanhaun where she was sitting with severely infected feet.  Koshish helped her to receive treatment for her legs in Patan Hospital and then for her mental health in the Lagankhel Mental Hospital where she was diagnosed with schizophreniaand received treatment for four month.

 Following courses of medication and counseling for four months she was reintegrated into her family and community. The Koshish ‘Three days   

awareness programs’ were highly influential in settling her back with her family and community.

 Now her husband is providing for her care, medication and emotional support. Chandra Maya is handling her daily household work and continuing with her mental health follow-up appointments for a stable mental health. Chandra Maya, her family and community are grateful to Koshish for all that that has been accomplished.

You can support us on following area with any resources

·        Advocacy/lobbying and awareness program

·        Rehabilitation and habilitation program

·        Emergence rescue and support program

·        Mental health forum from community to central level

·        Mental Health research/Baseline survey

·        To run peer support program and counseling therapy

Contact Information

KOSHISH

Mental Health Self-Help Organization

Lagankhel Bus Park

Lalitpur, Kathmandu Nepal

Phone No: +977-1-2221146

Mhsho.koshish@gmail.com

P.O.BOX: 8975, EPC 2706

Kathmandu, Nepal

Account Detail: Nepal Bangladesh bank, Lalitpur Branch/Kumaripati.

Account Name: KOSHISH

Account Number: 084241“S”

Swift Code: NPBBNPKA

Taxes exempt Reg. No. 378/065/066, National and Non- governmental Reg. No 086/65/66,