Expanding placement opportunities for interns and volunteers This summer, we are greatly expanding our collaboration with the University of Rwanda's Center for Mental Health (CMH). Following the Global Mental Health Conference in Kigali (June 24-July 1), students and professionals in mental health are invited to gain invaluable practical experience during a 4-week or 8-week summer internship or volunteer placement. The host organizations include a dozen Rwandan NGOs or hospitals, ... Read More
Mental Health
Mental Health Facilitator program update
Interview with Dr. Callie Scott, NBCC delegation co-leader to Rwanda In 2016, our MHF work in Rwanda with the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the University of Rwanda reached new levels of sustainability. The first two cohorts of Rwandan and international mental health professionals graduated as trainers. This allowed us to expand our reach beyond Rwanda's capital Kigali and conduct first MHF trainings in smaller towns. The beneficiaries were groups of nurses and ... Read More
Mental Illness Awareness
An interview with Kate Cotton Mental Illness Awareness week ran this year on October 2-8. Throughout that week you may have seen tweets and various social media posts stressing the importance of stable mental health and its support. The awareness raised last week then lead up to World Mental Health Day on October 10. In honor of this important topic and the week dedicated to it, we decided to share a recent write-up that we received from a past participant on our Global Mental ... Read More
Trauma Treatment in Rwanda
An interview with program leader Athena Phillips Athena Phillips founded the Integrative Trauma Treatment Center (ITTC) in Portland, OR in 2012. Her desire was to implement a more holistic approach to treating trauma and to address the mental health challenges that result from traumatic experiences. She has brought together her interest in medicine and her intrigue in human behavior and response, to create a multi-phase treatment model for trauma. This fall, Athena will lead the first ... Read More
Rwanda – 22 years after the genocide
Commemorating the Rwandan genocide Rwanda marked the 22nd commemoration of the 1994 genocide yesterday. The country has come a long way and, today, is regularly lauded as a major development success story. Some impressions from Rwanda: Feel safe and secure walking the streets of its modern, green capital A place where zero tolerance for corruption really means zero tolerance One of the most gender-progressive parliaments in the world Globally admired for its achievements in ... Read More
Faculty-Led and Custom Programs
Upcoming Programs in Africa and Asia Developing countries in Africa and Asia are becoming increasingly popular for faculty-led and custom experiential learning, service-learning and cultural immersion programs. At the same time, program developers and program leaders continue to face enormous and frequently unexpected challenges. As a result, a partnership with a regionally specialized third-party provider not only offers peace of mind and meets liability requirements but can also add ... Read More
Global Mental Health in Rwanda
Partnership between GEI, NBCC International and the University of Rwanda According to World Health Organization (2005) estimates, over 450 million people live with unmet mental health needs. Developing countries in particular often have a critical shortage of mental health professionals, and the resulting unmet mental health needs are costly both socially and economically. Rwanda is one such country. While its medical system is generally lauded as a major African success story, the field ... Read More
Mental Health in Botswana
Inaugural GEI delegation exploring mental health in Botswana by Waleed Fatth (GEI Global Programs Manager, Berlin) The inclusion of mental health services in primary healthcare systems is a hotly debated topic in international healthcare circles. For decades, leading global institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) have advocated for a complete integration of mental healthcare. Despite significant progress, many challenges remain. For example, accessibility is ... Read More
