Believing that resilient mental health systems require robust, community-based evidence, Mthunzi Minds has successfully progressed into the pilot phase of the interRAI SAMHY/PAMHY mental health research project in Blantyre, Malawi.
The fieldwork phase commenced with a comprehensive training program hosted for our newly recruited Research Assistants. The training curriculum equipped the team with practical field skills in research ethics, informed consent protocols, absolute respondent confidentiality, and professional fieldwork conduct. To ensure absolute accuracy and readiness before full deployment, the research assistants also conducted rigorous field pretesting of the digital assessment tools.
This milestone initiative is being implemented in collaboration with interRAI Global, Western University, and the University of Waterloo. The study is specifically designed to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and cultural appropriateness of self-administered mental health assessment tools within the Malawian context among adolescents, youth, adults, and caregivers. By generating high-quality, localized data rather than relying on western-adopted models, this project aims to contribute to long-term improvements in mental health research and service delivery across Malawi.
Mthunzi Minds extends our gratitude to our dedicated research team, as well as Bintel Analytics Limited for hosting and supporting the training sessions.
