Berbera Mental Health Hospital (BMHH)
ACFH has partnered with Berbera Mental Health Hospital (BMHH) in the Sahil Region of Somalia since 2019. It is the only regional hospital and the only mental health hospital in the country. It has historically faced multiple infrastructural challenges including a lack of staff combined with 70 inpatients and over 100 outpatients, lack of supplies and medications, and insufficient accommodation. The dedicated staff also faced burnout due to additional challenges articulated including: 1. Lack of training to handle mental cases. 2. Lack of mental health knowledge. 3. Poor staff motivation. 4. Difficulty in handling cases related to mental health. 5. Low work satisfaction since there is no improvement in all sectors. ACFH has provided training for staff in four major areas of need: 1. Self-care to provide burn out. 2. Methods to calm the nervous system. 3. Validation and invalidation. 4. Biofeedback There is a hope to offer training opportunities to students in the future as the program grows, as well as professional training for mental health providers. The new facility opened in 2025 aims to address many of these challenges, and ACFH looks forward to continuing to work with BMHH on new projects.
