Community project brings hope and healing to mentally ill persons in Nkhotakota

An estimated 75% of people with mental disorders in Malawi do not access mental health services.

The challenge has also not spared people in Traditional Authority Kafuzira in Nkhotakota District, where for many years, mentally ill persons have been suffering in silence, not knowing where to seek help.

One such person is 30-year-old Grace Banda from Kamphambale Village, who endured years of isolation and stigma due to mental illness.

“When I got mentally ill, I just stayed idle at home without knowing what to do. I faced stigma and discrimination, even from my husband, who eventually left me because of my condition,” Banda recounts.

Grace’s story began to change in 2018 when Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO), in partnership with Zomba Mental Hospital and Tackle Africa, introduced a three-year Comic Relief–funded project titled “Passing and Supporting: Building Tactics for Community Mental Health Care.”

Through the project, Grace received psychosocial support, began medical treatment, and was trained in financial literacy — an opportunity that transformed her life.

“I started a small business selling mandasi (fritters), and my life has changed for the better. I now have peace of mind and freely interact with others through the Village Savings and Loans (VSL) group and other community forums,” she says with a smile.

A mother of three, Grace now relies on her small-scale business to support her family and pay school fees for one of her children. She is also optimistic that her husband will return home now that her life has stabilized.

At the community level, Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) have played a key role in identifying and referring mentally ill persons to health facilities for care.

Charles Banda, Senior HSA at Dwambazi Rural Hospital, located about 100 kilometers from Nkhotakota District Hospital, says that due to increased awareness on mental health, more people are now seeking treatment.

“We were trained through the project on how to identify mentally ill persons. With the help of caregivers, we locate such individuals in the villages and bring them to the hospital for psychosocial and medical care,” he explains.

Banda adds that over 50 people with mental health challenges have accessed treatment through the initiative.

Nkhotakota Mental Health Clinical Officer, Khumbo Nyirenda, says the situation in the district has improved significantly.

“The district hospital now handles between 600 and 700 mental health patients every month, with 15 new cases registered monthly,” Nyirenda notes.

He attributes the rise in hospital visits to the project’s success in raising awareness and combating harmful myths about mental illness.

“There used to be many superstitions in communities, with people believing that mental illness could not be treated. But through YONECO’s awareness campaigns, more people are learning that help is available and effective,” he says.

Nyirenda adds that as awareness grows, so does acceptance:

“Knowledge is power. Once people understand that mental illness can be treated, they are more willing to seek help — and that is a sign of real progress.”