UBUBELE is a Resource and Training Centre mandated to build capacity within the mental health field in South Africa especially within the disadvantaged sections of our nation. It seeks to address psychological and emotional issues in South Africa without which the physical and economic challenges cannot easily be confronted. It seeks to do this by training therapists at local, provincial and national level who will gain clinical experience from working with Ububele's local community viz. Alexandra Township. Research projects also form a major role of UBUBELE's aims.
WHY DID WE ESTABLISH UBUBELE
South Africans have been and are still living in an intensely stressful environment. In addition to the universal and expected emotional difficulties of present day life we have had a past filled with abuse and deprivation on many levels. We are having to cope with transformation, high levels of crime and violence, a breakdown in family life, an HIV/Aids epidemic of catastrophic proportions which will leave millions of orphans and devastated families who will need to come to terms with their trauma, a need to address socio-economic and educational conditions with limited resources and the tension of wanting to take our place in the competitive "globalisation" of the world . People have to temper their desire for change with the reality of the speed with which change can occur and this in itself is an additional emotional strain. All this is led to an 18-month investigation and the following needs emerged:
| There is a serious shortage of well trained professional and lay therapists and counsellors , especially those familiar with the social, cultural and economic conditions of those requiring help and who can converse in an indigenous language. Insufficient and inadequate facilities, resources and programmes.
| There is a urgent need, amongst both professional and lay counsellors for ongoing training and an upgrading of their skills. There is need for therapeutic services in communities [including UBUBELE's own Alexandra Township] which is greater than the existing resources can meet.
| There is an especial need for an organisation capable of understanding and dealing with more difficult psychological cases and where there are virtually no suitably qualified therapists.
| There are insufficient internship possibilities for Universities to place their mental health students.
| There exists a need amongst student teachers [especially at pre-primary and nursery school level] to be more informed about the emotional development of children ; the assessment and handling of the emotionally disturbed child.
| Mental Health NGOs themselves suffer high levels of burnout and stress amongst their staff due to the heavy load and nature of their work. They have limited opportunities to find support, supervision and containment of this stress.
| There is a need for a common centre where various mental health practitioners and their organisations can congregate for study, continuing education, and workshops.
| There is a lack of data and research in the mental health field in South Africa in general and into community mental health problems in particular.This research could contribute towards the development of a therapeutic model for the African continent.
| As in many other parts of Africa, there are limited mental health statistics for South Africa.
| There is a limited budget for mental health at regional and local levels of government. The tendency of skilled professionals to work as private practitioners plus shortage of state posts has created a culture where mental health has become a preserve of the wealthy and the employed.
| The failure of training for skilled professionals to take into account the African context.
| There is no national, regional and only limited local programmes for training mental health practitioners or lay workers for community-based practices.
| Private initiatives directed towards community mental health are beset by another range of problems, including a lack of co-ordination among groups involved in various psychotherapy initiatives, and between these groups and public health services provided by the government.
THE THREE OBJECTIVES OF UBUBELE
In order to meet the above mentioned needs, UBUBELE seeks to develop three arms.
1. To initiate and implement various levels of TRAINING programmes for professional and lay counsellors , especially those proficient in African languages and familiar with African culture.
2. This training is done by offering various psychotherapy and counselling SERVICES to the community especially Alexandra Township.
3. RESEARCH.