Implementation of a Mental Health Literacy e-Curriculum (MHLEC) in Malawi Universities

About MHLeC

The Implementation of a mental health literacy e-curriculum in Malawi universities (MHLeC) project is a 4-year research study being led by Dr Sandra Jumbe from Millennium University. The project is supported by the African Academy of Sciences as part of the African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE) scheme. This project is looking to increase mental health literacy in educational settings in Malawi. We have developed an e-curriculum focused on increasing mental health literacy which we plan to deliver to first-year university students across Malawi. The project aims to assess the implementation of this e-curriculum in Malawi universities within a randomised feasibility trial.

What do we do

Research

We conduct mental health research in Malawi aimed at improving mental health literacy alongside youth-focused support and service provision.

The current MHLeC is based on findings from our pilot work that involved exploring the extent and nature of mental health and substance use issues amongst Malawi's youth to inform development of evidence-based and culturally relevant interventions.

Community Engagement

We aim to mainstream conversations about mental health and related issues in Malawi using community outreach and (social) media channels so that youth outside university settings are not neglected, to address the mental health service provision gap.

Our website is a space where young Malawians can freely access culturally relevant mental health information, lived experiences from people with mental health problems, and vetted local service providers.

Look out for our annual mental health themed festivals in October to connect young people and their peers. We will have panel discussions and debates targeting MHL on our social media platforms and media channels (radio, TV). Together with our project partners, we facilitate and organise outreach activities with young people, their peer groups, and their families

Dissemination

Non-academic audience With the expertise of Millennium University’s communications team and our project communication’s strategy, we aim to share our research results in creative, accessible formats for non-expert audiences through the project website, newsletters, social media and other digital content. With the expertise of Millennium University’s communications team and our project communication’s strategy, we aim to share our research results in creative, accessible formats for non-expert audiences through the project website, newsletters, social media and other digital content.

Academic audience We have and will continue to publish our research findings in open-access peer-reviewed journals. We will present at international meetings like The Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC), those organised by the African Academy of Sciences, national-level health research dissemination forums.