'Shamil' a community mental health initiative launched

The I-Care Foundation and the Aman Foundation recently launched "Shamil" a community mental health initiative for the poor. "Shamil" is a comprehensive programme that aims at creating awareness about mental health issues and helps affected people to realise the full potential of their abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities.
According to the World Health Organisation, around 15 percent of Pakistani population or some 25 million people suffer from mild to moderate psychiatric illness and some 1.7 million people suffer from severe mental illness. Unfortunately, there is an enormous gap between the need for treatment of mental disorders and the resources available. As per one estimate there are only 4 mental hospitals and less than 800 psychiatrists and psychologists combined in a country of 170 million (around 1 per 200,000 persons).
Keeping in view the alarming situation, the I-Care Foundation and The Aman Foundation in collaboration with its implementation partners, Pakistan Association for Mental Health (PAMH), Karwan-e-Hayat and Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) are launching Shamil for low income communities in Karachi to work towards addressing this issue.
Shamil was conceptualised and developed at the Aman Foundation and is part of a larger endeavour by the Foundation to bring much needed focus on mental health in Pakistan. Shamil is funded by donations from Arif and Fayeeza Naqvi through I-Care, which will take the lead role in funding, monitoring and co-ordinating the project. HANDS will be responsible for community outreach with the help of Marvi Workers (Lady Health Workers) who will go house-to-house to raise awareness, identify mental health patients, help in reducing the stigma and develop self-help groups.
The identified patients would then be treated at Karwan-e-Hayat treatment facility in the project area and the Marvi workers would ensure that the patients take their medicine and visit the doctors as needed. HANDS would also help in rehabilitation of the treated patients by skill enhancement and job placements. PAMH will be responsible for training the Marvi Workers (MW) in mental health related issues and also for the research component of the project. Karwan-e Hayat will be responsible for treatment and rehabilitation of the patients through their inpatient and outpatient facilities in the project area.
While addressing the launch ceremony, Farrokh K Captain, the Chairman I-Care, introduced I-Care as a new Civil Society Organisation. He said, "It is Pakistan's first Donor Advised Fund, connecting donors to deserving charities as a trusted channel. During the last one year, I-Care has partnered with 13 Pakistani NGOs and funded projects worth Rs 201.8 million.
Discussing the genesis of Shamil, Ahsan Jamil, CEO Aman Foundation, said, "Aman intends to bring strategic focus and support to partner organisations working in the mental health field and Shamil is such an example and an important first step. Aman, however, also intends to partner with international organisations like the British Asian Trust, to not only bring in funding for mental health in Pakistan but also expertise.
The launch was extensively attended by members of the civil society, local and international psychiatrists and doctors, board members and staff of organising and implementation partners of Shamil. Dr Zebulon Taintor, a Professor of Psychiatry at New York University, who specially arrived here in Karachi to attend the launch of Shamil, discussed the need for community mental health programs. Dr Murad Musa of Department of Psychiatry, AKUH and Dr Feriha Peracha (of Sabaoon-Swat fame) were part of a very engaging panel discussion.