From Crisis To Care: Understanding The Mental Health Impacts Of Climate Change On Women At The Margins.
By: Mary Blessing Ahairiirwe
Due to climate change that occurs in different forms of drought, landslides and floods mostly in our communities, a lot happens and affects mostly women negatively. Much as most of our mothers and women try their level best to remain strong for their families and be that strong pillar and firm foundation, everyone breaks at a certain point. It is always just a factor of time.
Quite often, when such incidences like the Bulambuli landslides, kiteezi landfill incident, Bududa floods mention them occur,we the society focus the attention to financial support, basic needs; food, clothes, shelter and medical care of these families. A few people always take the extra mile to interact with these people and walk them through the impacts of these incidences emotionally and mentally. We aren’t berating the food aid, money, clothes idea but we are trying to highlight and expose the need for more of emotional support that we don’t extend to the victims.
Taking the recent December landslides in Bulambuli district in Uganda as a scenario, such an incident has been associated with many negative impacts to human lives. Socially, these landslides resulted into displacement of people from their homes, destruction of their gardens and farms, their livestock died and some lost their friends and relatives. To most of the women responsible for taking care of their families, this has exposed them to stress and anxiety that affects their mental health and decision making.
Look at the impassable roads during heavy rains that result into accidents which at times claim the lives of the victims or leaving survivors mentally shocked while others with serious damages. A lot of women have lost their partners and children to these accidents and this has exposed them to Post Trauma Social Disorder(PTSD).
Drafting a picture of all the impacts above, this exposes mothers and women to stress and anxiety of what to feed their families. Many a times, providing needs attention is pointed at the physical well being of victims ignoring their mental health.
Due to covid 19, different organisations and recreation centres have emanated to provide mental support to people in such scenarios but they’re not enough. These centres and services are mostly located and offered in urban settings, no one looks up to the marginalized women in the rural and hard to reach areas instead society takes advantage of that emotional weakness to exploit them. This has resulted into increased number of suicide cases in our communities and all these need to be addressed.
First and foremost, there is still need for Climate financing. Government should provide support to different organisations and individuals advocating for climate justice since climate change is the primary cause for all this mental illness.
Extension of mental health services to rural areas. This can be done in form of workshops, seminars to provide marginalized women a free space to talk about their challenges without judgement and seek a way forward amidst these challenges caused by climate change.
Sensitization of the public about the need for mental health. Most people in our societies perceive rehabilitation and recreation centres as hospitals for mad people. We need to educate these masses about seeking emotional support from these centres so as to improve the mental health of women.
Mary Blessing Ahairiirwe
Volunteer
Women for Green Economy Movement- Uganda
Similar Posts by The Mt Kenya Times:
- Clashes and arrests taint PSG’s Champions League triumph — 416 detained
- New group of western deportees arrives in Ghana from United States
- Defending Champion Coco Gauff Eliminated from French Open by Anastasia Potapova
- Reprieve for over 200 MKU students as Court quashes CS order to stop Oral Health degrees
- Kamuri calls for unity, safety amid market fire, school tragedy and Ebola facility debate
About the Author
