YOUNG PEOPLE FROM VULNERABLE ENVIRONMENTS MUFINDI BEGIN TO BE GIVEN PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION

BY MATUKIO DAIMAAPP IRINGA

The Youth Agency Mufindi (YAM) project has started the provision of psychology education for young people under 25 years of age who come from vulnerable circumstances in three wards of Mufindi district to enable them to deal with the problem of mental stress and insomnia.

The 10-day training started today  at the Igoda Orphan Hall in the Mufindi district by bringing together 100 young people from 16 villages in the Ihanu, Mdabulo and Luhunga districts.

Speaking to the young people during the opening of the training, the Chairman of the Association of Tanzania Psychological Service Providers Dr Heriel Mfangavo said the training is a great opportunity for the young people towards self-awareness and getting rid of the rigid ideas of not taking progressive steps and having ideas to move ahead.

He said that the young people are small if they do not receive psychological treatment early, the problem they have and the size they have can commit major disasters including murder or suicide.

Because he said, for example, daughters who got pregnant in childhood by being raped or manipulated. This situation is not easily erased from their minds, so they must be educated in psychology early so that they do not continue to suffer or torture children. In addition to daughters, he also said that young people who were abused in the family because of being abandoned by their parents when they were young or deprived of their property tend to have adultery.

He also said that another group that needs psychological help is a group of people with disabilities, some of whom live with depression and anxiety due to the way they are.

So he said the counselors who will work in the Youth Agency Mufindi (YAM) project in Mufindi district in Iringa region have been asked to identify the challenges that cause the problem of mental stress for the community of people with disabilities and find solutions

He said due to the magnitude of the problem for the young people and people with disabilities, the training will be of great benefit to them and get rid of dependency.

He said that the YAM project is a great savior for the Mufindi community, especially the areas that are surrounded by the project as it will help the needy community to live more happily.

So he said the issue of disability leads many people to live with mental stress and even get other mental problems.

Dr. Mfungamo said some things have become a source of stress in the community such as rejection, isolation and relational stigma.

He also said that the poor economic situation leads people to get stress, so through the training provided, it is clear that society will reduce the problem of stress and even be able to do activities more efficiently

On their part, young people from poor families who stopped studying due to various challenges, including pregnancy. For daughters, they have praised the Youth Agency Mufindi (YAM) project for reaching out to them and providing them with mental health training and psychological support. The participants of the training, Agnes Kihongole, a resident of Kanig'ombe, speaking on behalf of her colleagues, said that they had reached the point of despair in life after lacking educational opportunities.

Kwani said that on his part he was not lucky enough to continue with Secondary Education due to his parents' lack of fees.

So he said through the training which is the beginning for them to realize themselves and once they realize themselves, it is easy for them to do economic activities.

"We believe through this training we have found liberation in our lives and the families we come from because without self-awareness it is difficult to determine what to do"

He also said that his and his colleagues' expectation is to be given the power of empowerment to fulfill their dream.

Yam project manager Danford Mkumbo said the project is a four-year project being implemented by the Mufindi Council in collaboration with the Foxes Community and wildlife conservation (FCWC) project through the YAM project under the funding of the Government of the people of Finland. It will benefit young people and children from in poor families more than 770 young people in 16 villages.