CANKUZO, October 28th (ABP) – The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, honored with her presence the ceremonies marking the celebration of World Mental Health Day, which took place on Friday, October 25, 2024, in Kigamba district of Cankuzo province, under the theme, “It is time to prioritize mental health in the workplace”.
In her speech, Mrs. Ndayishimiye indicated that the celebration of this day is a good opportunity to exchange ideas in order to raise awareness on the promotion of mental health whether in society or at work.
Indeed, she stressed, good mental health is irreplaceable in achieving sustainable development. She called on the population to avoid disputes and disorder in households and at the workplace, in order to avoid stress which is among the origins of mental illnesses. In addition, it is important, according to the Burundian First Lady, to avoid trauma everywhere within the framework of respect for human rights. For the same purpose, she advocated for the establishment of services responsible for the promotion of mental health, because, she explained, it may happen that the employee can be punished by his/her employer while he/she needs a psychologist or vice versa.
She also advocated for the support of mental illness treatment centers present, the organization of capacity building sessions for psychologists and for universities to intensify psychological courses in faculties promoting health.
To the population, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye invited them to consult psychologists as soon as the signs of this disease appear instead of resorting to witchcraft or other mysterious acts.
As for the Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, Lyduine Baradahana, one out of four people in the world, is mentally ill or has suffered from this illness. In Burundi, she said, the reports provided by health facilities show the presence of mentally ill people. It is in this perspective that she called on the population to avoid the consumption of drugs, tobacco and all things that could sow disorder in the community.
At the same time, the First Lady of the Republic of Burundi granted aid consisting of rice, beans and soaps to 70 mentally ill people. Note that those ceremonies were also attended by the WHO representative to Burundi.