Pietermaritzburg mental health
About Us
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION
Pietermaritzburg Mental Health is a long established non-government organisation in existence since 1945. The NGO renders services to persons with mental disabilities. The services offered include social work, residential care and protective employment. Indirect services to individuals and communities focuses on mental health awareness, community development and education.
VISION
Pietermaritzburg Mental Health empowers people to ensure optimum quality of life.
MISSION
- 1. To work with the community to achieve the highest possible level of mental health for all by:
- Enabling people to participate in the identification of individual and community mental health needs and by responding appropriately;
- Developing effective but affordable services to meet the needs of people having difficulty coping with everyday situations or who are affected by a mental disability such as psychosocial, intellectual or emotional disturbance;
- Creating a public awareness of mental health issues;
- Striving for the recognition, promotion and protection of mental health rights for all people.
- 2. The organisation aspires towards a caring and equal service system with a just and fair society.
- 3. The organisation believes in a service delivery system reflected in an accountable partnership between the organization and the individual or community.
- 4. The organisation accepts the uniqueness of each individual and recognizes the potential of people. Its management is responsive and based on participation, mutual trust and respect. Its structure is such that it encourages and facilitates the development of community.
OBJECTIVES
In pursuit of its Mission the organization:
- 1. Promotes the mental well-being of all people and collaborates and liaises with other organisations with similar aims at regional and local level;
- 2. Establishes and maintains services for the promotion of mental well-being and the prevention of mental disability;
- 3. Provides any therapeutic, developmental or rehabilitative programme in aid of such persons, including the provision of accommodation, counselling, education, training and vocation
- 4. Assists individuals and groups in the community to undertake any task related to services and programmes including the formation of self-help and support groups
- 5. Speaks out on mental health issues in regional and local forums and media and creates public awareness of the needs and rights of persons with mental disability
- 6. Prepares and disseminates information and educational mental well-being or disability
- 7. Initiates and participates in research into the causes, incidence and treatment and in promotion of mental well-being
- 8. Strives to coordinate voluntary community services with the area of operation of the organisation
- 9. Co-operates with government departments, local authorities and families, voluntary organisations and private individuals in the furthering of the objectives of the organisation.
- 10. Co-operates with relevant training facilities and any other discipline that may contribute towards the realization of the objectives of the organisation.
VALUES
Pietermaritzburg Mental Health believes that people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities have a right to a place in society and a right to education, training, work and social inclusion. The organization strives to create awareness about mental well-being to dispel the myths and stigma attached to these disabilities. Persons with psychosocial needs face social and employment difficulties and challenges related to the stigma attached to their conditions.
The organisation’s largest challenge is to create awareness about services. This is critical in terms of accessibility to treatment facilities and also the prevalence of ignorance of the illness and the isolation of persons with mental disabilities.
Too often people with mental disabilities are denied the appropriate education and work opportunities and are socially side-lined, abused and exploited. The organisation strives to help them to overcome the obstacles that deny them the appropriate opportunity to reach their full potential.
How to get involved.
There are many different ways to support our work – from donating cash, gifts in kind and time.
In whichever way you want to get involved, know that you are making a valuable contribution to the nation’s mental health – as well as helping to support those who have a mental diisability.
