🎯 The International Day of Friendship (July 30) aims to promote global peace through friendships.

🎯 Interactions across cultural, ethnic, racial, religious or economic lines promotes tolerance and understanding.

🎯 It eliminates prejudice, stigma and conflicts.

🎯 The Asido Foundation identifies with this laudable goal and strategy.

🎯 It is also very useful in reducing mental health stigma and discrimination.

🎯 Lets celebrate and promote friendship and peace

Follow us @asidofoundation

#asidofoundationcares
#staysanethroughcovid19
#worldfriendshipday

🎯 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (July 30).

🎯 About 40 million people are estimated to be trapped in modern day slavery

🎯 Three quarters (71%) are women and girls

🎯 The Asido Foundation stands against human trafficking and modern day slavery

🎯 The mental health consequences are horrendous.

🎯 Lets stand against human trafficking and modern day slavery

Follow us @asidofoundation

#asidofoundationcares
#staysanethroughcovid19
#endtraffickinginpersons

Something big is almost here...

#unashamed2020

Tomorrow at noon

WE ARE ONE YEAR OLD TODAY.

Excited, grateful, humbled, appreciative......but energized by how much more still needs to be done.

Which is why we invite you to support our vision for the new decade, with a campaign we shall be launching by 12 NOON today:
#unashamed2020 campaign.

Join our train.

We are only just getting warmed up.

Stay sharp. Together, we can.

And below is a link to the story of our beginning.... Still very poignant now:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157272984816767&id=563111766

The Asido Foundation is ONE today, and we are delighted to announce the launch of our vision for the new decade of the 2020s.

#unashamed2020

NO to shame, stigma and discrimination against persons with mental health challenges.

YES to empathy, support and open conversations around mental health issues.

Please join us, visit our website and take the #unashamed2020 pledge now (www.asidofoundation.com)

Then invite others to do the same.

We are aiming for 1 MILLION PLEDGES by October 10, 2021.

Together, we can work for a mentally healthy society.

https://youtu.be/7sp5p0OjZAs

And afterwards, generate a badge with your image and share on social media via:

https://getdp.co/unashamed2020

THANK YOU

The Asido Foundation has launched its vision for the new decade with the #unashamed2020 campaign.

There should be no shame or stigma associated with mental health challenges.

Lets ensure that there is more support, understanding and open conversations around mental health.

If you agree, please visit www.asidofoundation.com.and take the #unashamed2020 pledge.

And then invite your friends and family to do the same... Lets aim to get at least 10 people each, to also do the same through us.

Together, lets make the world a better place... One person at a time

🎯 #unashamed2020

🎯 The ten items of the #unashamed2020 pledge are outlined here.

🎯 We will be taking them one after the other in the coming days.

Have you taken the pledge? Please do so and then invite others too.

Visit https://www.asidofoundation.com/unashamed2020

#unashamed2020
#asidovision4thenewdecade
#nomoreshameorstigma
#asidofoundationcares

🎯 #unashamed2020

🎯 Endorsement by Mr Meka Olowola, Managing Partner, Zenera Consulting and Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Asido Foundation.

🎯 We want to change the narrative around mental illness in our society.

🎯 No more shame or stigma.

https://youtu.be/5kqR2AYFOKw

🎯 Have you taken the pledge? Please do so and then invite others too.

Visit https://www.asidofoundation.com/unashamed2020

#unashamed2020
#asidovision

🎯 #unashamed2020

🎯 Pledge Number 1 of 10

🎯 There is no health without mental health. It should be prioritized

🎯 Access to healthcare for all is captured in the 3rd SDG

🎯 Want to take the pledge? Visit https://www.asidofoundation.com/unashamed2020

#unashamed2020
#asidovision

TOWARDS ENDING THE SECRECY AND SHAME AROUND MENTAL ILLNESS: THE UNASHAMED2020 CAMPAIGN

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.”
– Glenn Close

Globally and in Nigeria, there is a rise in the burden of mental disorders, drug abuse and suicide rates. The world health organization (WHO) estimates that 1 in every 4 persons are at risk of developing a mental health challenge at some point in time in their lifetime (25% lifetime prevalence). In Nigeria, with an estimated population of about 200 million people, this implies that about 50 million Nigerians are at risk of developing a mental health problem.

Another way to bring this figures home so we appreciate the gravity is to look at it from the family perspective. An average family has at least 4 members – father, mother and 2 children. The lifetime prevalence of 1 in every 4 persons at risk, would therefore translate into at east one member in every family at risk of developing a mental health challenge at some point in their life. So, this is not something that happens to other people very distant from us. You and I or our family member may be the ones with a mental health challenge tomorrow.

The question we therefore need to answer is: where will your family take you to, if you develop a mental health challenge tomorrow? Traditional healer where you may be chained and beaten? A faith-based healer, where the ‘demons’ that have ‘possessed’ you will be whipped out of you? Or starved out of you? Or will you be taken to a hospital to receive psychotherapy, medications and support until you recover and get back on your feet?

At the heart of the problem is the pervasive ignorance and superstitious beliefs around mental illhealth. We tend to be fearful and run away from things we do not understand. And this lack of information and myths around mental health challenges makes it seem like a strange and mysterious situation that we are helpless about. But this is not true. They are simply myths and superstitions. The reality is that mental health challenges are treatable and surmountable. And such individuals can return back to normal and productive lives with their families, at work and as active members and participants in communal living.

It is therefore gratifying to see more people and organizations promoting mental health awareness and aiming to dispel the secrecy and darkness around mental health issues. Shedding more light and promoting open conversations will help to dispel the associated shame, stigma as well as the prejudice that leads to discriminatory behaviour against affected persons and their families.

We are therefore enthused about the #unashamed2020 campaign by a mental health advocacy organization, the Asido Foundation, which is hoping to achieve 1 million people committed to taking the #unashamed2020 pledge. The pledge aims to open a new chapter as we start the decade of the 2020s, that promotes open conversations around mental illhealth.

People who take the pledge commit to supporting affected persons and their families; fighting against shame, stigma as well as discrimination; ensuring humane and qualitative mental health services that is in tandem with global best practices; and protects the human rights and dignity of affected persons.

These daunting challenges can best be surmounted, through concerted campaigns that energizes the citizenry to become proactive and take a stand. This is what the #unashamed2020 campaign aims to achieve, and we call on our readers to visit www.asidofoundation.com/unashamed2020 and take the pledge.

It is also pertinent to note that beyond the ignorance and lack of access to the right information is the challenge of low government attention towards mental health, with grossly insufficient mental health services across the country. We have very few psychiatrists, clinical psychologists as well as psychiatric nurses and the few available are also being continually lost due to brain drain. We still operate in Nigeria, the Lunacy Act of 1958; which is obsolete and a far cry from current dictates of the protection of the dignity and the human rights of affected persons. The name itself makes one cringe. Attempted suicide remains a criminal offence on our statutes.

So we also need the government to reform and strengthen the mental health system with better priority attention, increased funding, speedy reforms and passage of the mental health bill and the faithful integration of mental health into primary care - already a policy since 1991 but with near non-existent implementation.
A multi-faceted approach that involves all stakeholders will be pivotal towards changing the gloomy state of mental health in our society for the better. We are all stakeholders, as we may be directly or indirectly affected at any time. So, we should all add our voice and lend a helping hand to the #unashamed2020 campaign and the push for mental health reforms.

JIBRIL ABDULMALIK
Tribune Article for the column “Your Mental Health & You”
Thursday, 6th August 2020
ASIDO FOUNDATION
www.asidofoundation.com

🎯 #unashamed2020

🎯 Pledge Number 2 of 10

🎯 We deserve a modern mental health law in tandem with global best practices

🎯 But Nigeria still operates, the obsolete Lunacy Act of 1958

🎯 The current Senate Committee on Health, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Y. Oloriegbe is pushing the Mental Health Bill.

🎯 We applaud and appreciate them and wish to encourage them to complete the process soon

🎯 Want to take the pledge? Visit https://www.asidofoundation.com/unashamed2020

#unashamed2020
#asidovision