The topic of mental health is becoming popular among youth all over the world. It is commendable to watch youth take on the responsibility to help those struggling with mental health disorders.
Lesotho is one of the many countries where mental health is not made a priority and this prompted 23 year old ‘Mampheng Molefe to establish a Non-Governmental Organization called Young Adults Fighting Depression otherwise known as YAFID. This organization was established to educate people about ways to take care of their mental health and prompt them to ask for help when things get out of control.
The YAFID N.G.O defines taking care of mental health as taking consistent actions that nurture one’s mind by ensuring that it is in a healthy state. In their opinion, this will only work if one makes it a priority to keep the mind in a healthy state.
In addition, if the mind is not healthy, then the body as a whole cannot function properly. The reason Ms. Molefe founded this organization is because she too has struggled with her mental health but the upside in her case is that she had a strong support system from her parents. Her heart went out to those who did not have support systems or healthy emotional outlets to release their pain and she decided to start this N.G.O with the aim of helping them.
This N.G.O currently has a network of psychologists and social workers who assist people struggling with mental health disorders. They urge people who are struggling with mental health disorders of any sort to reach out through the YAFID social media platforms.
In addition, they host seminars and have fun walks to educate people about the importance of mental health and equip them with different ways to cope when the going gets tough. Most importantly, the network of psychologists and social workers offer counseling services free of charge to those that reach out to the N.G.O.
Ms. Molefe is growing as an individual through the work her organization does on mental health. In her own words, “Through YAFID, meeting and interacting with different professionals in the field of Mental Health has grown my knowledge on the subject greatly. Thankfully, I can now spot, and assist someone that is struggling with their mental health.”
Furthermore, the entire organization is able to help people and it is incredibly fulfilling that they are able to help people who were close to giving up completely.
The topic of Mental Health is a very important since many young people’s lives are lost to their struggle with mental illnesses. Even though it is such a pressing issue, we live in a country that unfortunately is not taking enough measures to ensure that citizens prioritize their mental health, especially in the youth.
This is why the organization wishes to make Basotho realize just how important mental health care is, that they should prioritize it. In their opinion, it is important for parents to get educated on mental health so that they know which indicators to look out for in their kids. That way, they will be in a position to offer them appropriate support and assistance.
The organization’s biggest dream is to become the leading mental health organization in Lesotho. Their goal is to have an office in every district of Lesotho that people can go to and get the counseling they need to heal from their different trauma. They would love to go around the country educating people on issues relating to mental health and making Basotho realize just how important Mental Health is.
This organization is small but very mighty. They are inspiring people to take good care of their mental health regardless of the stigma around the issue. Most importantly, the passion to help youth is commendable because they happen to be the most affected by mental health due to factors such as unemployment. They have taken great strides and we can only watch because the best is yet to come.
If you struggle with your mental health and would like to get help for free, contact the YAFID organization through the following;
Facebook- YAFID Lesotho
Twitter- yafid_lso
Email- [email protected]