Ecobank Day prioritses mental health issues
Ecobank Malawi on Saturday celebrated its ninth Ecobank Day, with a donation of K3 million to St John God Hospital in Lilongwe and Mzuzu as part of the bank’s initiative to raise awareness on mental health issues.
Speaking during the event at Blantyre Sports Club, Ecobank Malawi head of audit Bosco Mguntha said they are determined to raise awareness and help prevent mental health issues.
He said: “There are still a lot of misconceptions about mental health here in Malawi.
“It is important to openly talk about mental
health without the feeling of stigmatisation or taboo. We are using Ecobank Day 2021 to get these messages across to as many people as possible.”
Mguntha said the donation to St John of God Hospital will go towards helping those that are stressed or depressed to get free therapy sessions from mental health experts at the hospital.
“We are hoping that this donation will go a long way in helping close to 300 people within Mzuzu and Lilongwe who need expert help,” he said.
St John of God Lilongwe clinical psychologist and coordinator of mental health and psychosocial
support services Dr Ndumanene Silungwe said they are grateful for the donation towards mental health, an area neglected by many.
“This initiative encourages
people who are finding it difficult to cope with life due to distressing events that they have encountered,
to be supported to find hope again and regain their mental health by receiving professional mental health and psychosocial support services,” he said.
This year’s Ecobank Day marked the final stage of the bank’s three-year campaign to raise awareness and help prevent non-communicable diseases.
Ecobank Day is the Ecobank Group’s flagship corporate and social responsibility annual event that seeks to give back to the communities across Africa.
This year’s day was held under the theme Mental Health: Time to Talk and Act.
The day’s activities started with a webinar on Friday where experts
across Africa discussed mental health issues.
During the day on Saturday, mental health specialist Dr Chiwoza Bandawe conducted a mental health talk.
Mguntha (L) and Ecobank’s Fabiano Makolija (R) hand over cheque to Silungwe
