African Women Mental Health Literacy Project

The African Women Mental Health Literacy Project is a holistic health and wellness program which aims to improve the health and quality of life of low-income African and Caribbean immigrant and refugee women in the Philadelphia area by addressing the dearth of culturally sensitive and language appropriate mental care and connection to care services that are available in Philadelphia. ACANA, in partnership with the Masjid Ar Rahman will provide trauma-informed, culturally tailored and language appropriate health literacy educational services including workshops to at least 150 African refugee and new immigrant women with young children in the Philadelphia area in order to:

• Increase their knowledge and awareness of emotional and mental health well-being;
• Use information provided to promote healing and resilience and optimal quality of life in women with young children from the target communities;
• Decrease barriers to seeking help for mental health issues; and
• Through the creation, training and support for immigrant women peer educators in the community, prepare women to become future health educators/leaders in the community.

The project will focus on untreated mental health issues and challenges that are most common within these communities, such as PTSD, as well as the stressors associated with migration. The objectives are not only to assist new residents in their adjustment and resettlement, but to help them to become active participants in their new environments.