GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Nov 17, Canada’s Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan has announced the launch of a CAD$2.9 million (US$2.1 million) International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) project to support mental health in Guyana, the first such investment in the Caribbean.
He made the announcement via video message as the Guyana Mental Health and Well-Being (GWB) conference continued on Tuesday afternoon at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana and Suriname, Mark Berman (front, second right), and other IDRF stakeholders at the project launch.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony expressed the Guyana government’s gratitude to Canada for its contribution to the important area of mental health.
“A large component of the IDRF program would be working with students and with persons in community….to have our communities prepared [to deal with mental health],” he said.
Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana and Suriname Mark Berman explained the need for financial intervention in support of mental health initiatives.
“The magnitude of the mental health burden is not matched by size and the effectiveness in response; it demands … two-thirds of countries allocate one percent or less of their health budget to mental health with the poor often bearing the greater burden in terms of risk and lack of access to treatment,” he highlighted.
Through the IDRF project, some 67 750 persons are expected to benefit over a five-year period. This will be done in partnership with the Ministry of Health under the theme, ‘Safeguarding the Human Dignity and Rights of Population At-Risk for Ill-Mental Health in Vulnerable Communities Across Guyana.’
IDRF is a Canadian non-governmental organization (NGO) founded on principles that address the root causes of poverty. It concentrates on helping persons with long-term development to alleviate poverty and preventable diseases, among other issues.
The NGO has also been working with the health ministry to customize a therapeutic-driven approach to address ill-mental health as an underlying cause of vulnerability and poverty among vulnerable communities.
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