Sustainable Livelihoods: Linking Mental Health & Economic Development
Buckelew Programs recently hosted a community forum led by my friend, Richard Dougherty, the President of BasicNeeds US, on cross-cultural issues in the delivery of mental health services in developing nations of Africa and South Asia. I’m constantly looking for ways to reach out and engage members of our community in a shared process of learning, exploring, and developing new and innovative approaches to providing services and supports to youth, adults, and older adults with mental illness. So I thought it might be interesting to hear what BasicNeeds is doing in countries like India, Sri Lanka, Ghana or Uganda, and compare their approach with what Buckelew is doing here in Marin, Sonoma and Napa.
While many of us here in the US have been touched in some way by mental illnesses, we’re fortunate that we don’t face the devastating hardships of poor people with mental illness who are living in parts of the world without access to mental health services of any kind. I learned, for example, that it is not uncommon in parts of Africa and South Asia to chain a person with mental illness to a tree—often as a desperate attempt by loved ones to keep their family member out of harm’s way in the absence of accessible and appropriate mental health services. BasicNeeds is working in developing nations to build local capacity for mental health services that reduce symptoms, promote recovery, sustainable livelihoods, and integration in households and communities.
Despite the vast differences in culture and resources between the Bay Area and developing nations in Africa and South Asia, I was really struck by the vision shared both by Buckelew and BasicNeeds of creating opportunities for people with mental illness to live, work, and lead more sustainable, engaged lives in their communities. I liked BasicNeeds’ approach of explicitly linking mental health and financial development, of enlisting natural supports and social networks in the community—as well as mental health treatment—to aid mental health consumers with their recovery. Their attempts to develop “sustainable livelihoods” echo Buckelew’s drive to create more jobs and economic opportunity through our supported employment programs, our social enterprises, and our planned financial literacy and savings program.
We know that for people with mental illness—here, as well as in Africa—poverty is one of the most pervasive, significant, and debilitating barriers to achieving recovery and full participation in the community. And so we go beyond providing essential mental health services to also create homes, jobs, and—ultimately—hope for those living with mental illness.
