Essential Grace Magazine September 2022 Vol. 3 Issue 2
Have faith that everything will work out for the best. Never let a stumble in the road be the end of your journey.
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Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not thinking, not andnotnotwonderingimaginingobsessingjustbreathe.
Want to get in touch? You may do so through our social media pages or directly to the editor through essentialgrace@zoho.comEnjoytheread!JulieSoko
If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, let us all welcome the hot, dry summer months together with wisdom and self care. I think we can all agree that the temperatures are becoming extreme each year. We need to be vigilant with such things as hydration, diet, rest, and allergy management. Not forgetting our pets and vegetation especially in the coming fiery October and November months.
There are many reasons why people may attempt or succeed with suicide, there is no general rule to this phenomenon. In Malawi, our statistics are showing a rise in suicides each year despite efforts at intervention by different individuals and organisations. Resources to help address mental health challenges in the country remain low, leaving a lot of people without access to mental health professionals at their convenience and affordability.
Dear Reader,
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September is the month that highlights an important awareness topic around the world; WorldSuicidePreventionDayandSuicidePrevention AwarenessMonth. It is estimated that over one million people die through suicide each year; with more men successfully going through with it although it is mostly women who make attempts.
That being said, the efforts of Malawians to end suicide continue to grow and improve. We have featured several individuals in our past editions highlighting contact numbers or social media platforms that are there for the public to access. In this edition, we interview Dr Andrew Mijoya, one of the mental health advocates who has taken one such intervention; the End Suicide Malawi Campaign to Facebook.
5 | Essential Grace Magazine September 2022 Mtendere Kishindo Sub Editor Thandi De Jong Editorial Assistant Naomi Msusa Editorial Art and Design Julie ManagingSokoEditor Essential Grace is a free online publication that is focused of promoting mental health and wellness in Malawi and around the world. Follow and subscribe to the magazine at www.issuu.com/essentialgrace follow, like, and share on our social media @EssentialGraceMagazineplatforms; @essentialgracemagazine.mw 0995 147 290 Comments and feedback on any of our content can be addressed to essentialgrace@zoho.com
6 | Essential Grace Magazine September 2022 Special thanks to this month’s contributors: Dr Andrew Mijoya Courageous Musasa Did you know … Most of our editorial content is contributed by our readers. We welcome your ideas, articles, questions, images, and feedback. Submit your content to the editor at essentialgrace@zoho.com
“Creating Hope Through Action”
An estimated 703,000 people a year take their life around the world. For every suicide, there are likely 20 other people making a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide. Millions of people suffer intense grief or are otherwise highly affected by suicidal behaviours.
Each suicidal death isa public health concern with a major impact on those around them. By raising awareness, reducing the stigma around suicide, and encouraging wellinformed action, we can reduce instances of suicide around the world.
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.
“Creating hope through action” is the triennial theme for the World Suicide Prevention Day from 2021 2023. This theme is a reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and aims to inspire confidence and light in all of us.
By creating hope through action, we can signal to people experiencing suicidal thoughts that there is hope and that we care and want to support them. It also suggests that our actions, no matter how big or small, may provide hope to those who are struggling. Lastly, it highlights the importance ofsetting suicide prevention as a priority public health agenda by countries, particularly where access to mental health services and availability of evidence based interventions are already low. Building on this theme and spreading this message over the three years, a world can be envisioned where suicides are not so prevalent.
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO). The 10th of September each year focuses attention on the issue, reduces stigma and raises awareness among organizations, government, and the public, giving a singular message that suicide can be prevented.
We can all play a role in supporting those experiencing a suicidal crisis or those bereaved by suicide whether as a member of society, as a child, as a parent, as a friend, as a colleague or as a person with lived experience. We can all encourage understanding about the issue, reach in to people who are struggling, and share our experiences. We can all create hope through action and be the light
Dr Andrew Mijoya
Read on to know more about the EndSuicideMalawiCampaign , how to engage with the program, as well as how you can get involved.
Medical Doctor, Musician, and Mental Health Advocate.
My name is Andrew Mijoya. I'm a medical doctor currently working with Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre Malawi. I'm a strong advocate for mental health, and I'm able to tell my story through music, as well as the End Suicide Malawi Campaign, dubbed the Sound Mind Movement.
Suicide prevention related work
phase one was primarily online based, phase two has incorporated community activities. I have managed to set up a team of 9 people, and the support rendered to us from the corporate world and the general population has been incredible. We would like to ride on this momentum and take mental health related messages to various schools and colleges. We would like to enlighten the masses on various mental health conditions and eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental health issues. We would like to promote a speaking culture among Malawians and connect as many people as possible to mental health services.
Inspiration
The motivation to do mental health advocacy stems from my own personal experience with depression. I experienced a breakdown in a romantic relationship when I was still in medical school. This happened at a crucial time when I was actually preparing for my finals. It took me a long time to finally get over it, and when I finally did, I wrote a song called LiveAgain based on the experience.
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Mijoya speaking on mental health awareness at an event
The End Suicide Malawi Campaign has entered into phase two this month of September 2022. While
Background
But my academic life went south when I started dating. My first dating experience came during my senior years in Medical school. We had our challenges along the way as a couple and we overcame them, but a heartbreak followed after almost two years of dating. This was not how I had envisioned it. I struggled to get out of the valley of depression, and eventually this affected my academic life. I had no desire to study, no appetite for
I contemplated suicide but never attempted it. Looking back, I was able to appreciate the fact that suicide is avoidable. I was also able to appreciate the fact that an individual can live free of
Personal experiences
Lessons to share on suicide
We tend to place labels on people who commit Suicide or attempt suicide. But journeying backwards with them is an opportunity to get understanding. That way we are able to know where we missed it, and we position ourselves to do better next time, because most suicidal individuals tend to give warnings. When someone commits suicide it's a reflection of a society problem. We must all therefore take responsibility in seeking solutions.
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I walked into college as an A student having been decorated with a Science award from the national research council of Malawi. My confidence level was high.
food, and no zeal to attend discussion sessions. From an award winning student to a course repeating student, that slump in performance caused my mental health to deteriorate even further. I started looking for people to talk to, and when I finally found my healing, I was inspired to share my story through music.
Mental health is our psychological well being which affects how we relate to our immediate social environment and influences our ability to make meaningful contributions to society. It's that ability to go to bed looking forward to the next day, and the ability to wake up to a new morning with a drive to be productive.
Mental Health definition and
Personal experience
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issues will affect the best of us. It seems that everyone has the potential for suicide. We must always have a high index of suspicion when an individual demonstrates an unexpected change in behaviour or their daily routine. This must be followed by prompt action to check on the individual. A phone call may be life saving.
One of the talks available on the Facebook page
workplace. Men should be encouraged to open up about the issues they are facing as the risk of dying by suicide is greater in them than in their female Parentscounterparts.should take initiative in creating an environment where all children are free to talk in the home. They should be available to listen to the boys and probe for information where necessary. The community can create support groups for men where they are free to talk about issues that are affecting them every day and seek solutions.
Mental health and suicide prevention; building healthy environments for men and boys
I believe that society tends to protect women too much, factors such as preparation for life is concentrated on the girl child totally neglecting the boy child. This gender bias may be what promotes vulnerability to exploitation in men and puts them at risk for mental health
suicidal ideations, recover and live a meaningful life, given proper assistance and Mentalsupport.health
Malawiproblems.needsinitiatives that promote healthy environments for the boy child, be it at home, at school and in the
14 | Essential Grace Magazine September 2022 Social Media Links https://web.facebook.com/andrew.mijoyaEmail:andrewmijoya@gmail.comCall:+2650884597493dr_drew_sings
I
I
practiced self compassion and gave myselfgrace
shifted my thoughts to what I can control and can do versus what I can’t
took things one moment and one day at a time
did something to support my body (sleep, eating, exercise, got a massage)
I
I
I connected with God
I
I
I
gotout of bed and took a deep breath in and out
We all have to be aware of our mental health, and to be able to find help when we need it. Use the list below to keep trackofwhat is happening in your mind and keep mental health.
MentalHealthChecklist
took breaks whenI needed them and I did something I enjoy
I
acknowledged small wins with gratitude
connected with a therapist, counsellor, oraccountability partner
connected with someone
asked forhelp whenI needed it
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I
I
I
unplugged foratleast 1 hour, spent time outdoors, got up and moved my body
I started a new hobby I cutoff negative people and information sources
AnxietyandWorry;
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One factor that I believe is like fuel for anxiety is denial. Many of us do not acknowledge that we are suffering from anxiety, many of us are ignorant to the symptoms and negative effects of anxiety. We make our situations worse because we don’t address the actual problem. So what is anxiety really?
It is important to know the types of anxiety so that your treatment approach can be appropriate.
Anxiety can be a short term worry, or a more long-lasting worry that is not necessarily linked to anything specific. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is something that has to be diagnosed and treated by a professional mental health worker. While milder types of anxiety may require one to work towards a mindset change that will allow them to live free from the symptoms and effects of it.
How Do You Cope?
In the years before COVID 19, there were many reasons to suffer from anxiety, however, since the pandemic it seems anxiety has increased its power. Imagine the context of a Malawian right now; employed yet trying to supplement their income through business, paying school fees and supporting relatives. Depending on the unstable economy, unreliable electricity, unreliable fuel sources, and dealing with many losses following the restrictions of the past two years. Add to that political unrest and the wars, environmental disasters and fears of other pandemics hovering in nearby African countries, it’s tough. How can anyone avoid anxiety in the times we are living in?
Living on planet earth – especially in Malawi – has become an extreme sport! Life is becoming hard to navigate, as the popular Tiktok expression goes ‘the pressure is becoming worser’
Interferes with Cold,Hyperventilationsleepsweaty,numb,or tingling hands or Obsessivefeet
Intense or disproportionate emotional Ongoingresponseand lasts weeks or months
thoughts about the Aproblemsenseof impending danger or doom
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Often comes out of nowhere
Interferes with day to day life
Physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, light headedness, racing Feelsheart
Can be helpful or motivational
A normal reaction to stress or difficult
A response to toxic situations
Anxiety AnxietyDisorder
Lessons significantly or disappears away from stressful Relaxingsituationsoften helps you feel better
Triggeredtimesbyspecific stressor
impossible to control or manage
Has a start and ending point
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Sometimes, anxiety maybe part of other underlying mental health conditions that you cannot solve on your own. Seek advice from those closest to you on how to get the right help for yourself.
As we see the suicide rates riase even higher around the world each year,we need to be more proactive in supporting each other,learning about mental health, and taking care of ourselves.
Let’s end suicide!
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Anxiety can be a huge problem for some people. It may be part of an underlying mental illness as well as lead to thoughts of suicide. Should you find yourself or a loved one contemplating suicide, please reach out to someone for help, don’t keep it to yourself. Whether it is a mentalhealth professional, a close friend, a religious leader, or a family member, talk to someone about how you feel.
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the term mental health is often misrepresented in Malawi. Whether it is on television interviews, newspaper articles, orinconversations, this term has become synonymouswith mental illness. Let us be sensitive to the improper use of this term and begin to correct others as we go along.
Didyouknow…
Mental illness – a term used to describe a wide range ofdiagnosable mental disorders and health conditions
Mental Health – the descriptionof mental, emotional, and even behavioural health. It is how we think, feel, and behave Poor mental health – when someone is struggling to cope with their thoughts, emotions, or behaviour
I was 13 years old. A form 3 student at a local boarding school in Blantyre, home for the holidays. I was miserable. I had been suffering depression and anxiety for many years without even knowing what those words even meant.
every day for atleast a week. It had become the highlight of my day really To come and stand at the middle and look down; imagining how quick and easy it would be for me to crush my skull on the rocks below. I fantasied about dying all the time and this bridge was giving me the potential to actually do it.
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Eventually,pain.
My earliest memory of attempting to end my life was when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was the victim of sexual abuse within the home and had decided to keep quiet about it. Being a deep over thinker even at that age, I concluded that I was the one in the wrong and that it meant I was guilty of a horrible sin. I felt dirty and stained, trying everything I could think of to clean myself. I prayed, I cried often and washed constantly with the hope that I could somehow make up for what I
I became tired of trying to make things right, especially as the abuse continued. I decided I would be better off dead and started to try different ways to do it. The most memorable attempt was when I drank an entire bottle of cough medicine. It was a particularly bad day for me, I was at home alone with the nanny and it seemed like the best time to go. I wrote several goodbye notes until I wrote one that was a good fit. Saying goodbye to my family and apologizing for the pain I
By Anonymous, Blantyre
The Bridge
believed to be my own self inflicted
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was leaving them with. I remember my crooked handwriting and wrong spellings, complete with drawings of flowers. It made me sad. I freshened myself up, put on my favourite dress and shoes, drank the bottle in one go and lay on my bed, waiting for death. It scares me to think back on this as an adult, because had I taken something more lethal that day, like bleach for example, I would never have survived. I was so Obviously,determined.Iwokeup some hours later with a horrible headache and upset stomach. I was so very disappointed that I survived, feeling a failure and rejected by death. I believe this is where depression set in that lasted throughout my teens into my early twenties. At boarding school years later, I attempted again on various occasions by overdosing on pain medication, starving myself, and even trying to get run over in traffic. By the time I came to the bridge, I was tired of trying to die, yet I did not want to live.
I am no expert, but I believe people who attempt or succeed with suicide have a deep hatred for themselves. There may be different reasons for this, they might not even know it but hate is the primary emotion. I hated myself for what I went
through as a child, I strongly believed it was my fault so I wanted to make myself pay for it in the worst way possible. I never loved myself, or felt any compassion for myself. All I wanted was to cut off any association with the girl that was dirty and shameful. Perhaps if I had told someone back then, they would have helped me understand that it was never my fault, they would have helped me to heal and see myself in a different Bylight.the time I stood at the bridge every evening, I was more than ready to end it all. I stood there calculating the distance, thinking of all the sharp rocks and water below, the thick vegetation that would ensure nobody found me for hours or even days. I reasoned that if the fall wouldn’t kill me, surely a poisonous snake would bite me, or a wild animal would eat me and make sure I wouldn’t make it out alive. These thoughts were disturbingly comforting at the time. I wish I could say that there was something miraculous and dazzling that happened to prevent me from jumping that final day I stood there. But there was nothing of that sort. After my usual fantasy of an ugly death, I simply turned away and went home to start cooking supper. Looking back, I think God
My healing came in my early twenties. I was living in alone in a one bedroom BQ in Chilobwe. I had been employed as a junior cashier at MacSteel in Limbe at the time. Alone, miserable and depressed, I lived only to go to work and come home. My father encouraged me to go to church, which I did but more out of duty. Well, one Sunday, I listened to a message about the love of Jesus, how His love was so unconditional that He gave it freely, without discrimination or qualification. I learnt
that Jesus loved me so much that He went and died for me so that I can be alive, not just in the body but into eternity as well. Sure, most of us have been hearing this message for years. But for me it made sense for a very different reason. As I gave my life to Christ, I decided that if He loves me so much that He wants to give me eternal life, why should I want the opposite of His desire? If I claim to love Him, then surely I will do what pleases Him, which is to embrace life in the fullest! That was my turning point, there was no man of God laying hands on me to deliver me from the ‘spirit of suicide’. God Himself spoke into my heart through His word and changed my faulty mind set, He convinced me to begin to love myself as He does.
This has been my mind set since then. I am now in my forties with a family of my own. I have learnt over time how to love myself, forgive myself, and accept myself not because I am something special but because God does that so perfectly every day. I simply continue to learn from Him and follow His example. Through doing this, I have learnt to love, accept, and forgive others too. I have patience and compassion for people who are stuck where I used to be.
allowed me to have that process as a way to get it out of my system, and then He probably said ‘enough now’ and we went home together. Since that day, I never tried to end my life again. I remained depressed and suffered anxiety for years. Growing up in a middle class Malawian home, I never heard of counselling, or ever entertained the idea of talking to anyone about my struggles. I was isolated, lonely, and unfriendly to others. Sometimes even aggressive to others in order to keep myself in misery. I still had a deep hatred of myself, never believing anything good or positive could ever be part of me. I told no one about the abuse, or that I had tried to die so many times. I became very good at masking my emotions.
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People who want to end their lives because of different reasons. I know what that feels like, I also know it is not what God wants for us. If we stop and think about it carefully, we will see that God’s love is a powerful healing force strong enough to keep hopeless people like myself and even worse going Thesestrong.days,
I encourage people to speak out when they are going through problems. It’s never a good idea to keep things to yourself, someone next to you might say the right thing at the right time to help you. Or, they might connect
you to a professional who will walk with you through your dark times. I also encourage people to seek God, read His word and learn about Him. He is a loving God and He cares deeply about each and every one of His creation. He is ready and willing to trade your sorrows for joy. One of my favourite verses is Isaiah 61 verse 3, I am a living testimony to this passage through and through. I hope my story will encourage someone out there, if you are standing at a bridge in your own life, be encouraged.
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Choose life!
Upon completion of her secondary school education in Mulanje with the support of the Orphanage, Miss Musasa settled in Chilobwe together with three younger brothers and a sister.
While Chilobwein she wo children loitering in the streets and neighbourhood even during school hours. Upon enquiry, she was informed that these kids could not attend school due to lack of financial support as their parents were either too poor to support them or they had died. Some of the kids had been abandoned by their mothers who were sex workers staying in the township.
Background of Courageous Kids Foundation
Courageous Kids Foundation (COKIFO) is a Community Based Child Care Centre founded by Miss Courageous Musasa in 2013 to provide support to orphans and other vulnerable children under the age of 18. It is situated in Chilobwe Township, Traditional Authority Kapeni, south of Blantyre city.
Courageous Kids Foundation
In 2005, at the age of 11, Miss Courageous Musasa was the oldest of five children from the same family who were living in the street of Blantyre after losing both of their parents back in 2004. Courageous faced a lot of challenges and abuse while living on the street. Sometime later, she and her siblings were rescued and taken in by Friends of Mulanje Orphans.
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In 2019 Courageous was joined by 8 other people who expressed willingness to work with her in supporting and caring for the children. By this time, her charitable activities had attracted the attention of most people in Chilobwe Township including the Chief who decided to introduce her to the department of Social InWelfare.October
2020, the number of children grew to 200 forcing Courageous and her management team to move to a larger house with four bedrooms within Chilobwe Township. Currently, there are 70 children living at the orphanage while the other 130 children are being supported through regular donations.
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the number of children at the orphanage continued to grow from 41 to 91 by 2015. That included those from other townships as well such as Mpemba, CheNsomba, Chatha, Makalani, and FollowingChimwankhunda.thisincrease, Courageous decided to rent a house within Chilobwe Township where she continued keeping and feeding the children during the day
and sending them to their homes in the evenings after supper.
Feeling compassion for the children, Courageous decided to enrol some of them in school using her own money which she used to earn through piecework. She would also invite the children to her house to share food with them. A year later, the number of children had grown from 3 to 41. In 2014 while still supporting the children, she enrolled with the Malawi Polytechnic where she studied for a diploma course in Mass Communication sponsored by Friends of Mulanje Meanwhile,Orphans.
Since its establishment in 2014, the orphanage has managed to send students to Malawian tertiary institutions such as University of Science and Technology
(MUST), Chancellor College as well as Teachers Training Colleges.
of challenges and threats such as a shortage of food, insufficient school fees and school materials, as well as being unable to raise money to pay rent which is expected to be paid in quarterly Oneinstalments.ofthe recent challenges the foundation has encountered is that the house that is currently being rented by the orphanage has been put on the market for sale. The landlord gave Courageous 4 months to buy the house or face eviction once a buyer is found. The house is being sold at the fee of MWK 25, 000,000.00. (Twenty Five million Malawi Kwacha.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP COURAGEOUS AND HER ORGANISATION TO SAVE THEIR HOME? Contact Courageous on 0990 380 229 / 0888 855 878 https://www.courageouskidsfoundation.org/home Donate directly to the Courageous Kids Foundation bank account at: Account No. 1008138757 Branch: Top Mandala / Swift Code: NBMAMWMW Our goal is to reach MWK25, 000 000.00 Your donation will go directly towards saving our home. Thank you for your generosity, God bless you!
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The Courageous Kids Foundation has no donors but only depends on the generosity of well wishers and the small business the foundation operates together with the children living there. Because of this, the foundation faces a lot
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31 | Essential Grace Magazine September 2022 For more details on the book please contact: Pam Kudiwa (ABC TV) +277 217 888 40 Blessings Nyasulu +265 993 507 270 @chawalall+265993285 chawala.banda@pm.me092
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Here is something to take note of, before you can get to the Central Hospitals, you need to first visit your local District Hospital in order to be assisted. This applies to mental health care as well.
Nkhata Bay District Hospital
Rumphi District Hospital Dedza District Hospital
Once you have been assessed, the medical staff (a psychiatric nurse or clinician) will then determine whether you need to be referred to the Central Hospital, which also provides comprehensive care for mental health challenges.
Nsanje District Hospital
Please take note of the list of District Hospitals available in Malawi.
Nkhokota District Hospital
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Machinga District Hospital
Mangochi District Hospital
Karonga District Hospital
Get in touch with us for your free offer of mental health related advertising be it for counselling services, support groups, books, upcoming events, and wellness services (e.g. Fitness, massage therapy)
Chikwawa District Hospital
Kasungu District Hospital
Mzimba District Hospital
Mulanje District Hospital
Phalombe District Hospital
Thyolo District Hospital Zomba District Hospital
Would you like to advertise your mental health services with Essential Grace Magazine?
Chitipa District Hospital
Dowa District Hospital
By now, we hope you are aware that you can access mental health care from all the Central Hospitals in the country.
Ntchisi District Hospital
Mwanza District Hospital
Salima District Hospital Balaka District Hospital
Mchinji District Hospital
Ntcheu District Hospital
Chiradzulu District Hospital
