The Cape Mental Health 107th Annual General Meeting took place on the 20th August 2020 virtually for the first time due to Covid-19 restrictions. The purpose of the AGM was to discuss the importance of investing in mental health resources now and beyond COVID-19. The meeting was well attended by a variety of stakeholders representing different sectors in which the Cape Mental Health operates.

The Cape Mental Health provides a range of community-based services for persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. Their services include assessment, referral, counselling and support. They also offer special education care centres for children with severe or profound intellectual disability and skills training and work opportunities for youth and adults with intellectual disability.

In addition, they offer psychosocial rehabilitation and peer support interventions for persons living with psychosocial disability. Cape Mental Health advocacy initiatives, training courses and community awareness programmes aim to raise much-needed awareness about mental disability. Through these programmes, they remove the barriers of stigma and discrimination that stand in the way of the recovery, inclusion, and empowerment of mental health care users.

Covid-19 has had an unpredictable and unimaginable impact on societies across the world, most importantly, the most significant impact we have to be aware of is how this pandemic will affect our mental health. According to World Health Organization (WHO) the number of people living with depression and anxiety increased by nearly 50% from 416 million to 615 million in the recent years and it is most likely to increase.

Mrs Ingrid Daniels, the President: World Federation for Mental Health and CEO of Cape Mental Health shared with the stakeholders that although the Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the economy, livelihoods of families and NGO`s income, the organization is still grateful for what they managed to achieve this financial year. She mentioned that for the first time, CMH secured funding from the Department of Employment and Labour to employ 100 individuals with intellectual disability through their Subsidy Scheme for Persons with Disability earmarked for Public Employment.

The Deputy Executive Officer, Santie Terre Blanche, who manages all the HWSETA programmes provided the following information pertaining to the HWSETA’s contribution to the organization, namely:

• Levy Exempt Grants for Staff Development:
o 5 senior staff members from our Training Workshops Unlimited (TWU) team attended Management and Leadership training and are now implementing the knowledge on effective management at their respective workshops indirectly benefitting 600 adults with intellectual disability registered at TWU.
o 33 staff members benefitted from funding towards Continued Professional Development and Project Specific Training.

• Peer Support pilot programme benefitted from the services of a coordinator with a qualification in Community Development. This 12-month internship enabled us to pilot our first peer support training and mentoring programme with 5 peer supporters with intellectual disability and 5 peer supporters with psychosocial disabilities. This pilot laid the foundation for upscaling peer support interventions at Cape Mental Health to support service users to live as equal citizens in the community.

• 1 staff member in our Donor Development Department benefitted from a HWSETA Bursary for 4 consecutive academic years (2017-2020) and is completing her degree in B.Com in Marketing and Business Management at the end of 2020. This study opportunity added value to her contribution to Cape Mental Health and the qualification will improve her employment opportunities.

• The Administration and Finance Departments benefitted from 18-month Work Experience placements of 3 TVET College Graduates (2 in HR Management and 1 in Financial Management). The first HR Management learner completed her work experience placement successfully at the end of June 2019 and the other 2 learners started their placements in January 2020 and completed 3 months before the COVID-19 lockdown started. They will return to their placements once Cape Mental Health returns to facility-based services.

Furthermore, The Health and Welfare SETA funded the employment of 12 Mental Health Advocacy Officers with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities respectively to engage in peer interventions and mental health awareness and education.