Care & Action for Mental Health in Africa (CAMHA) is a wholly Ghanaian owned company Limited by Guarantee – Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), with its principal activity as improving and supporting of mental health care and empowerment community residents through sports in Ghana & Africa.
We submitted a grant proposal under the “FSPI-PISCCA project of inclusion through sports of people with mental illness, improvement of the well-being of patients. The sensitization and training of psychiatric health professional (three psychiatric hospital, Mental Health Authority) on the importance of physical activity in treatment of mental health conditions and to create avenue for risk assessments and management processes and empowerment. CAMHA was selected and asked to submit a budget proposal for the implementation the project, ““Promotion of mental health and wellness through Sports”.
The project of inclusion, promoting sports to people with mental illnesses: improvement of the well-being of patients, sensitization, empowerment and training of psychiatric health professionals (3 hospitals, Mental Health Authority, etc.) on the importance of physical activity and sports in the process of treatment of pathologies, organization of sports competitions, provision of equipment.
The program sort to benefit the Three Psychiatric Hospital and Drug and Alcohol-Free Awareness Rehabilitation Centre (DAFAREC) in Nsawam, Eastern Region and REMAR Ghana based in Accra – Dansoman.
The program was assisted by the French Embassy in Ghana under their program of strengthening of Civil Society Organization in Ghana to procure sporting equipment, the organisation of Football, Volleyball and Table Tennis Tournament amongst the beneficiary institutions. As part of the program, CAMHA organised workshops on the important and physical activity in the recovery process of people living with mental illness for health professionals in Ghana; the aim is provide knowledge based information to selected leaders in various institution to curry on with the project ram and engage their client at the program.
The programme aimed to a) Procurement of Sporting Equipment & delivery, b) Launching of the annual programme – CAMHA GAMES 2019, c) CAMHA Games – Football, Volleyball and table Tennis Tournament amongst the three Psychiatric hospital, d) Workshops and Seminars, e) Post training monitoring and evaluation, F) Constraction of two Volleyball pitch at Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital and Pantang Hospital and g) Preparation of final report the French Embassy, Ghana.
FSPI-PISCCA GRANT and CAMHA programme evaluation and outcome
The project was evaluated with numerical value methodology, throughout the entire process of implementation. A need assessment was conduct before the project and before all the workshops. The aim was to identify what will be in the best interest of the beneficiaries. The questionnaires provided the beneficiaries opportunity to give their honest opinion about the project and whether there will be a need to continue. The project management team also made several visits to the beneficially institutions to speak the, managements, staff, patients, and clients. During most of the visits Clients, Patients and staff were observed to be busily engaged in physical activities, playing table tennis and have kick about with football. Staff reported reduction in boredom and incidence of violence and aggression and most of them urge CAMHA to continuously organize the annual CAMHA Games for them.
The French Embassy, Ghana and CAMHA Games 2019 can be found here