#InternationalWomensDay
Dr. Heni Dwi Windarwati, Mental Health Activist in East Java
People with mental health conditions have the same right as everyone else, but these rights are sometimes being overlooked. Dr. Heni works to support to them to have a meaningful life and contribute to society.
“I have worked with mental health for more than a decade, first as a teacher in the psychiatric nurse programme at Brawijaya University and later as an activist. Through these experiences, I could see that the main problems that prevented recovery was stigma and discrimination. This was why I founded Mental Health Camp in East Java in 2016.
The camp is an annual event and aims to support people with mental health conditions that have been released from pasung (the practice of shackling to restrict movement) in integrating back to the community. Prior to founding the camp, I had helped releasing nearly 600 people from pasung. The camp is also a platform for family, health care workers, and community health workers to learn together and support each other. Among others, we provided trainings on useful skills, education sessions, games and other group activities. The camp shows that people with mental health condition can participate in social life as everyone else, and this has helped reduce the stigma.
During the pandemic, we continue to support with home visits to educate on COVID-19 prevention measures.
My biggest wish is for people with mental health condition to have a life that they want, same as everyone else. They should be able to get education, get a job and get married. It really warms my heart to see that with our support, they are able to achieve that.”
Read her full story on https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/what-ifpasung-were-ended-indonesia
