Johannesburg 11 July 2022 – On Friday the 5th August 2022, HRH Princess Lerato M Foundation in collaboration with Baphiring Traditional Authority (as well as support from wonderful sponsors), will be launching Baphiring Psychosocial support centre at Mabaalstad village within Moses Kotane local municipality in the North West Province.
The Launch will be preceded by a series of mental health workshops which will be conducted by a team consisting of Psychologists, pastoral counsellors & motivational speakers.
On Wednesday the 3rd August 2022 & Thursday the 4th August 2022, the mental health workshops will be conducted for high school learners from Mabaalstad and neighboring villages , with a total expected number of learners being approximately 2500 over the 2 days.
Friday the 5th of August will be a mental health workshop for community members & invited guests ending of with the official unveiling of the centre.
The centre will offer services such as : counselling, support groups, mental health education & awareness campaigns as well as home based care services to the residents of Mabaalstad and neighbouring villages. These services are provided by a team consisting of a resident Social worker and dedicated community care workers (volunteers) with the aim to assist manage mental illnesses, educate people and raise awareness regarding mental health, as well as debunking myths and stigmas surrounding mental health in order to reach the objective of having mentally healthy and thriving individuals and communities.
This is an exciting venture as the foundation envisions to partner with other traditional/tribal authorities to establish more of such centres across rural South Africa.
The event also hopes to create a fertile ground for discussions, between government, Royal leadership, private companies, NGOs and members of society regarding strategies and solutions needed to combat mental health challenges in South Africa. We would therefore like to invite media houses to be present and cover this historical launch.
What was the inspiration behind opening shop of the Baphiring Psychosocial support centre?
Growing up in a Royal family I’ve been exposed to a life of helping people from an early age so this was just formalizing services we have consistently been providing to community members for years. We carry heavy titles such as “Royal Highness, Royal Majesty “ etc which make people view us as having solutions to their challenges and conflicts so therefore the need to formalize our services , to do it in a professional and compliant manner which will enable us to attract support and partnerships to enable us to source the required resources to continue helping people.
With the growing number of suicide and GBV, how do you think this centre with help victims and those who are considering taking their own lives?
The centre has a team of community care workers and a resident Social worker who are available 6 hours daily to attend to cases with a compassionate, non judgemental stance to assist people to make better life choices to help improve their quality of life. We offer counseling as well as education and awareness campaigns on different social issues in order to raise awareness and debunk stigmas to assist victims to speak out and seek and receive help to overcome their challenges.
Out of all provinces, what inspired you to open the Centre In North West?
I was born in the North West Province. Charity begins at home and I call this Province home so it was only natural for me to open the first centre in North West.
So many celebrities are depressed and are afraid to seek help because they are afraid of their problems landing on the tabloids fresh off the press. What is your advice to that one public figure who’s back is against the wall and is considering to end it all?
Health professionals are guided by patient or clients confidentiality clauses and therefore there is help which one can receive in privacy. Alternatively find a friend or family member which you can trust to open up to, trust them to help you find alternative solutions rather than suicide. We tend to magnify our problems when in the middle of them and therefore someone else’s opinion can help you realize that you’re not the first or last person to go through that particular situation as well as assisting you to accept it and find viable solutions to help you overcome it. Setswana sare “ Se safeleng sa tlhola” making there is no problem which lasts forever, darkness eventually ends and morning comes. Let us learn to speak out and seek help. Put your health first over “what will people say syndrome”. People actually admire celebrities who are rae and open with their struggles and insecurities. And as a celebrity by speaking about you own challenges you can inspire many people to overcome their own struggles as well.
