In a quest to alleviate the devastating effects of mental health in the communities, the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI’s) Zambia COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project (ZCERHSP with support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offered a five-day training course and three- month mentorship in Psychological First Aid for health care providers drawn from across Lusaka.

Ten CIDRZ staff members under the CDC-funded PROUD-Z projectwere among those conferred with certification by ZNPHI, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, on 7th June 2023. The graduates will cascade the skills acquired to facility-level healthcare workers to provide psychological first aid to members of their communities. The course was designed using an evidence-based approach built on the concept of human resilience, which enables individuals to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery. This approach can address stress from traumatic events, natural disasters, and public health emergencies, including personal crises.

During the graduation ceremony, ZNPHI Director General, Professor Roma Chilengi, thanked CIDRZ for its willingness to work with ZNPHI to mitigate mental health issues in Zambia.

“The ZNPHI – ZCERHSP will continue to partner with CIDRZ in training staff in Psychological First Aid as part of the project support to implement mental health and psychosocial support activities”, he stated. 

Professor Chilengi also applauded the graduates for participating in the programme, which, he said, was a first of its kind and urged them to be vigilant in executing their roles. “We look forward to implementation research and evidence generation through your work”, he said.  Over the past year, ZCERHSP, through ZNPHI, has been offering technical support to CIDRZ to build capacity in their mental health activities through ongoing professional training.