BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
A nonprofit making organization dubbed as the Unisa Mental Health Resource has over the weekend, made a colossal donation to the Kissy Psychiatric Teaching Hospital at Kissy.
Among the items donated were assorted personal clothing, bed spreads, table cloths, two cartoons of hand sanitary towels, pads, five bags of laundering soaps, among other useful items. Unisa Mental Health Resource also provided delicious meal for all the patients and staff of the Hospital.
Giving a brief background of the organization, the Chief Executive Officer of Unisa Mental Health Resource Madam Doris Bangura, revealed that the organization was founded due to the mental instability of her two sons which started way back in 2009. She disclosed that her elder son by the Name of Unisa became mentally retarded and ended up committing suicide in the United State of America. She also revealed that her other son was in University in the United States when he became mentally ill.
“So when you have two of your biological children wishing the best for them and all of a sudden they became mentally ill is a very painful situation. So because of my situation it obliged me to nurse the support for people with mental illness. This is what I have been doing in the United States soliciting support for help people with mental illness in Sierra Leone”, she said.
Madam Doris continued that she does not have the financial power to do it all alone but rather depends on other people with humanitarian heart to support the course. She added that their motto of Unisa Mental Health Resource is “Restoring the Broken lives”. She acknowledged that a lot of people are going through challenges especially those whose relatives have mental illness. Madam Doris encouraged family Members not to give-up on the relatives who have mental illness.
In his keynote address, the Sierra Leone Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China Ambassador Ernest Ndomiana said he felt so elated to join the Unisa Mental Health Resource in order to fraternize with patients at the Kissy Psychiatric Teaching Hospital. He added that it is because of love, care and concern for people with mental illness made him joined the donation done by Unisa Mental Health Resource. Ambassador Ndomiana therefore, pledged five million Leones in support to Unisa Mental Health Resource for such laudable and humanistic gesture towards people with mental illness.
In Receipt of the donated items, the Head of Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital Dr. Jusu Mattia, appreciated the items adding that, the donation was timely. He assured Unisa Mental Health Resource that the items will be used for their intended purposes. He encouraged the gathering to propagate the message that the name of the Hospital has been changed from Kissy Mental home to now Kissy Psychiatric Teaching Hospital. He added that mental health is on the increase which is precipitated by the terrible things happening across the world. Dr. Mattia concluded by commending Unisa Mental Health Resource for the donation and also feeding the patents.
