CIDRZ is currently offering mental health support to people in Mtendere and Ngombe and plan to expand to other compounds in Lusaka city pending funding availability. The mental health unit staff are currently working with community workers or connectors based at the MOH clinics who are identifying people with increased stress and other psycho-social reactions during this pandemic. Once a person with a mental health need has been identified, the connectors will connect the client to a counselor trained to provide mental health support over the phone. The counselors depending on the needs of the client can also do a formal evaluation which helps them determine if the client needs to be offered a complete telephone-based counseling intervention. Connectors are further distributing handouts on how to deal with stress during the COVID pandemic and informational materials on COVID-19 that were developed by the MOH.

So far, over 1200 people have been reached, 663 have been offered informational materials, 25 people have been provided with phone support and 8 have received full telephone-based counseling. A variety of mental health problems identified and responded to include suicidal thoughts, increased stress due to loss of income during the pandemic, intimate partner violence and domestic violence, harmful alcohol use and drug abuse, marital problems and refusal to take ART medication.