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BasicNeeds work in remote rural countryside and urban slums, in Africa and Asia, to end the suffering of mentally ill people, helping them to live and work in their communities, supporting thousands of people otherwise left to struggle without access to treatment and faced with the effects of stigma surrounding their disease.  We need your help to raise £30,000 for an inspiring project that will provide psychological support to post-conflict kids in Sri Lanka. Why? Not surprisingly, the experiences of violence and displacement have caused huge psychological trauma in children living in conflict affected areas. Services to tackle mental health like psychosocial disorders, depression, substance abuse or even suicide are seriously lacking. On top of all that, parents, teachers and guardians, along with the children themselves, simply don’t have the knowledge or awareness to understand and treat mental illness, whilst the massive stigma associated with mental illness will stop most families from seeking help at all.               GET LOUD. We urgently need your help to help us reach this ambitious target. Your money will support the development of mental health services for children and young people and help build local resource to provide children with long-term care in the conflict affected areas of Batticaloa and Vavuniya (Eastern and Northern provinces of Sri Lanka).     By supporting this project you will help 1,200 vulnerable children and their families be better equipped to overcome their traumatic experiences, regain a sense of normal community life and make sure they go to school and get back to being children.   Where will the money go?   1.    Supporting 1,200 vulnerable children and their families in conflict-affected areas through mental health camps 2.    Training for 1,100 parents, carers, teachers, community leaders and government social services officers on mental illness 3.    Training 120 community volunteers to deliver the project activities 4.    Running workshops for 1,100 children on coping with trauma, developing coping skills and therapeutic activities     Sounds pretty great, right? Donate now so we can help these kids get back to doing what they do best. Being kids!       Don’t stop there… Be sure to show your ongoing support to schtoom by liking us at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/keepingschtoom">www.facebook.com/keepingschtoom</a> and visiting <a href="http://www.schtoom.blogspot.com/">www.schtoom.blogspot.com</a> to learn more about our current campaign on mental health and all other things schtoom.   schtoom launch event for BasicNeeds - Saturday 22 October @ Juno, Shoreditch   Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

schtoom's page for BasicNeeds

schtoom's page for BasicNeeds

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