Zonta Club Dhaka II holds global webinar on mental health during pandemic

Zonta Club of Dhaka II has organised a global webinar on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic for all the Zontians in the world.

The club said in a statement it held the session on Sept 12 to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day. Four mental health experts from four countries joined the discussion as panellists.

Citing a survey, the statement said that currently a third of the population is facing significant psychological impact due to COVID -19. Issues like trauma, insomnia, anxiety, and depression are at an unmatched rise.

“In the current condition of the pandemic, it is critical to look after our mental health as much as we do with our physical health. Now more than ever we see that there is a stigma attached to mental health, which makes it difficult to talk about,” the statement read.

“With the effects of COVID-19 on our physical health increasingly documented, we can no longer collectively fail to notice its effects on our mental health.

“Our neglect of mental health is obvious from the insufficient commitments we devote to it; the crisis response is now hampered by our lack of investment in mental health promotion, prevention, and care before the pandemic,” it added.

Dr Shobha G, an educator, counsellor, nutritionist, wellness and life skills coach currently working as associate professor at the Department of Human Development, Smt VHD College of Home Science, Bangalore, represented India.

Ardlay Mohammed, counsellor and assistant centre manager for Shanthi Maargam, a youth centre that focuses on the emotional well-being of the youth, and trainer, facilitator and advocate for mental health, represented Sri Lanka.

The panellists also included Dr Mita Rana, associate professor and clinical psychologist at the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu.

Dr Rana holds M Phil and PhD degree in Clinical Psychology from Tribhuvan University and has been in the academic and clinical field of clinical psychology for more than 20 years. He represented Nepal.

Tawhida Shiropa, founder and CEO of Moner Bondhu, a platform to provide mental healthcare and well-being support service both in the digital platform and at interpersonal level, attended the session as the host country representative.

There was also a session on mental wellbeing through yoga and meditation where a senior Zontian, board director of Zonta Club of Greater Dhaka, Sonya Panni, explained few important breathing techniques.

Shomy Hasan Chowdhury, an award-winning Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activist from Bangladesh, moderated the event. Shomy is also the co-founder of global youth-led organisation Awareness 360.

She is also a US Department of State alumna, a Global Citizen Youth Advocate, the Asia representative of the Commonwealth Students’ Association, a Global Changemakers fellow, a Royal Commonwealth Society fellow, Youth Advisory Board member of Youth Combating NTDs, a certified Commonwealth Leader, Commonwealth Youth Forum 2020 International Taskforce member, a Global Youth Ambassador for Their World, a TEDx speaker, and an international election observer.

Zonta Club of Dhaka II said it will be giving certificates to all participants for speaking, moderating and participating the global webinar.

Among the participants were District Parliamentarian Dilruba Ahmed, Past District Governor Fahmida Karim, Area 2 Director Momtaz Chowdhury, Past District Governor Shahnaz Nathani, District Finance Committee Chair Mahazaveer Dalal, Past President of ZCDHAKAII Zaheda Khatoon, Past President of ZCDHAKAII Shaela Bhanu and many other Zontians from District 25.

President of Zonta Club of Dhaka II, Nilufar Rahman, noted that the club is an accredited NGO with General Consultative Status and a member of open working groups.

It advocates gender equality and works with other NGOs to ensure women’s active and equal participation in decision-making processes at the UN through the Commission on the Status of Women, the Sustainable Development Goals—in particular, Goal 5: Achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls, eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls including trafficking—and working groups on aging, education, child marriage, drugs and crime.