Category

Work update

Oct 16
8

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

By | Work update

Just like any global project, Erasmus+ KA2 MEGA was heavily affected by COVID-19 and the travelling restrictions caused by the pandemic. At the beginning of the year, MEGA was approaching the last and most important milestones of the project. Based on the initial project timeline, 2020 was going to be the final year to implement the remaining part of the project activities. Many activities that had already begun suddenly reached a critical stage and, stopping them completely, could cause long-term damage for the overall project. Unfortunately, one of the most critical deliverables – “Field testing of the MEGA app” – was also among the activities whose execution risked being put to a halt completely. Read More

Sep 25
7

Mobile application pilot in the Free State

By | Work update

South Africans are in dire straits as a vast part of the economy shut down and the country went into lockdown for months. As a result of job losses and businesses closing down, millions of people are going hungry every day. Worldwide, mental illness has been on the rise, and anecdotally, the pandemic is further compounding the situation. Read More

Dec 18
7

Training of trainers workshop in Cape Town

By | Partner meeting, Work update

On the 27th of September 2019, the highly anticipated MEGA “Training the Trainer” workshop was held in Cape Town. In the months leading up, we had worked hard to incorporate all the valuable feedback from primary health care workers and students from Zambia, South Africa and Germany who had taken part in the piloting phase. Read More

Sep 25
8

Pilot training: University of the Free State

By | Work update

As the MEGA app is continuing development, the training materials for nurses on mental health and health care are ready for testing and implementation. The pilot test was carried out by the UFS team in actual settings. The training was conducted in a boardroom of the Heidedal Community Health Centre (CHC) at the Pelonomi Hospital in the Free State province. Despite the clinics being busy with their daily work, the training was prioritised, and one nurse and one social worker of the clinic were released for the pilot training for one full day. Read More

Sep 05
6

Piloting the train-the-trainer course

By | Work update

A main goal of the MEGA project is to integrate mental health into primary health care in South Africa and Zambia through the means of education. To reach this goal we are planning to train nurses in the use of a brief mental health screening tool for assessing mental health problems in young people. Read More

Nov 16
7

Free State Provincial Health Research Day

By | Dissemination, Work update

It is clear that there is need for more training on mental health issues for nurses in public health care according to the very preliminary findings from the MEGA project survey conducted in the Mangaung Municipality. This was our message in the 7th Annual Free State Provincial Health Research Day held on 9 November 2018, at the University of the Free State.  Read More

Jul 20
8

The MEGA project group heard experts’ voices as the first research phase in promoting the mental health of adolescents

By | Work update

The MEGA project started the data collection for phase I in the study by using an expert panel as the study method. The panel was convened to validate the MEGA study instruments that will be used to map primary health care workers’ educational needs in South Africa and Zambia. The expert panel was organized in two phases at the University of Free State, Bloemfontein, SA and the University of Zambia, Lusaka in April–May 2018. Read More

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