adminMashudu Mambo
Girl Up Bulawayo, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the rights and empowerment of girls, is set to hold a mental health splash in Bulawayo to engage and educate communities on the importance of mental health issues.
The event will be held on October 21 at Mballz Place in Hillside suburb.
The organisation is under Girl Up Africa and its main focus is on empowering girls, raising awareness on mental health, sexual health, and gender-based violence.
Girl Up Bulawayo programmes coordinator Nombulelo Dube said their goal was to provide a platform where the public could engage on mental health issues.
“The inspiration behind this event is the realisation that there has been a rise in suicide cases among young people and we feel that it is our mandate to raise awareness on such issues. Our goal is to create a platform where people can have conversations freely without discrimination,” said Dube.
Dube said that they intended to reduce the prevalence of suicide cases in the city.
“At this event, our hope is that we discuss issues that are affecting people and we hope that we will be able to get a number of people to engage in the conversations. We want to show people that mental health issues are real and they need to be dealt with amicably.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) says mental health is a universal right and we are committed to promoting a safe environment and to preach this message through music and different games,” she said.
She said that the event was for teenagers and youths as they were the ones mostly affected by mental health issues.
“The event is for teenagers and youths from the ages of 14 to early 30s. There are a number of artists lined up for the event like Brilaizer, NME Joka, and Browny among many others.
“Our partners for the event are the Save Africa Movement, Higher Life Foundation, and Know Your Worth Foundation,” said Dube.
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