SUCCEED AFRICA NIGERIA TEAM MEETS WITH ASIDO FOUNDATION TO DISCUSS ROLLOUT OF COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION PILOT INTERVENTION
Date: July 25, 2023
Location: College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
By Chuka Ononye and Olayinka Egbokhare
In a significant step towards transforming mental health care at the grassroots level, the SUCCEED Africa Nigeria team and the ASIDO Foundation recently convened for a crucial meeting on July 25, 2023. The focus of the meeting was to discuss the upcoming rollout of the SUCCEED Community-Based Rehabilitation pilot intervention.
The gathering saw the esteemed presence of SUCCEED Nigeria's core staff, led by Professor Olayinka Omigbodun, the Principal Investigator, while Dr Jibril Abdumalik, Founder and CEO of the ASIDO Foundation, was accompanied by the newly recruited staff committed to the SUCCEED intervention.
Setting the tone for the meeting, Professor Olayinka Omigbodun commenced with an overview of the project's inception three years ago, highlighting the steady progress, robust staff engagement, and the exchange of ideas through cross-site meetings and collaborations. She underscored the project's guiding principle of Co-Production, emphasizing how this collaborative approach has been instrumental in achieving positive outcomes thus far.
Throughout the meeting, various informative presentations were delivered, providing insights into different facets of the SUCCEED pilot intervention:
1. SUCCEED Overview and Pilot Training Feedback: Mr Olayinka Bamidele, SUCCEED Program Manager 2, offered a comprehensive overview of the SUCCEED program, delving into the core concepts that underpin its vision. He shared enthusiastic reports from the recently concluded SUCCEED Pilot training, highlighting the success of co-facilitation with peer researchers and the invaluable feedback received from trainees.
2. Pilot Intervention Overview: Dr Rita Tamambang, SUCCEED Program Manager 1, presented an insightful overview of the pilot study, elaborating on its multi-method approach. The primary objective of the pilot is to implement the intervention on a smaller scale while gathering essential data on key process indicators and outcomes. Spanning four months, the pre-post-intervention study encompasses vital branches of the intervention, such as Advocacy, Carer Support, Peer Support, and Living Support and Self-Development.
3. Pilot Implementation Strategy: Concluding the presentations, Dr Jibril Abdumalik, the CEO of the ASIDO Foundation, shared the foundation's strategy for the intervention. He outlined the intervention sampling geography and detailed the methodology, encompassing inclusion and exclusion criteria and the recruitment strategy. He also shed light on the foundation's specific action points during the pilot phase, including community entry and leveraging existing radio programs for heightened awareness.
Following the presentations, attendees engaged in an interactive session, lauding the presenters' efforts while seeking clarifications on various aspects of the intervention. Topics of discussion ranged from selection criteria to SUCCEED's role during the pilot phase, and the implementation of community mental health forums. The idea of using gatekeepers as a means of community entry garnered a strong endorsement from the team members.
Before the meeting's conclusion, Dr Yinka Egbokhare, the adept communications advisor on the SUCCEED team, delivered a concise lecture on workplace communication. Her emphasis on developing sensitivity to messages, understanding relationships, and managing emotions within the workplace resonated with the attendees.
In her closing remarks, Professor Olayinka Omigbodun expressed heartfelt gratitude to all attendees and conveyed her satisfaction with the progress made thus far. The collaborative efforts of both SUCCEED Africa Nigeria and the ASIDO Foundation are eagerly anticipated as they move forward into the Pilot Intervention phase. The path they forge together holds the promise of fostering enhanced mental health support within local communities, bringing positive change to those in need.
