Comprehensive Health and Education Forum (CHEF) International is working in the Charsadda District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan, which has a population of over a million people. Culturally, Charsadda is one of the most conservative areas of KPK where men are considered dominant, and women have been victims of a wide range of discriminations, resulting in the deterioration of their mental health. Most of the people living in Charsadda belong to a poor socio-economic class. The area is recently affected by both conflict as well as natural disasters which makes the need for psychosocial support in women empowerment even more critical.
Women empowerment educates and empowers women with the skills and confidence necessary to develop a healthy lifestyle, but it is not possible until she is provided with psychological / psychosocial empowerment. Thus the first step towards empowerment is psychologically empowering women. CHEF International is promoting and contributing towards comprehensive development especially for persons with disabilities. Mental Health is one of the major components where CHEF International is promoting and empowering individuals with a special focus on women in its field based hospital "District Medical and Rehabilitation Complex". The team of Psychologists provides psychosocial support to women by initially identifying the needy, providing assessment and psychosocial support in order to rehabilitate them back into their respective communities. The rehabilitation process includes regular follow-ups inside the community by paying home visits, free medical camps on need basis, provision of awareness about mental health, and making referrals to the concerned departments. After complete psychosocial support, women also feel empowered in the other domains of life as well. With regular provision of awareness and education on mental health people have gradually started understanding the importance of mental health on their lives, leading to empowerment and behavioral change in a very cost efficient manner.
With the passage of time and provision of high quality services the community has gained a lot of confidence in the Mental Health Unit of DMRC, and as a result the number of visitors has increased manifolds. CHEF International is planning to strengthen and extend the program on mental health in future so as to empower and rehabilitate more and more women from the community.