1M CAD funded by the Grand Challenges Canada and 1M CAD matching fund: It is a 3 years project (started in Jan 2017) with RAND Corporation, Thua Thien Hue and Da Nang Department of Health (TTH DoH), Hue Psychiatric Hospital and Da Nang Psychiatric Hospital and Women Union (WU) as key partners. BNVN aims to implement the Collaborative Stepped Care Model for Depression Management in 9 selected sites in Da Nang and Thua Thien Hue province, focus on poor women with depression, the name of the project is: Livelihood Integration For Effective Depression Management (LIFE DM). This is the phase 3 of LIFE DM (BNVN has been working with Da Nang Psychiatric hospital and RAND on 2 other pilot phases)  – Transition to scale. The previous phases were funded by NIMH for prove of concept – to develop the model, the working mechanism, develop the services to make it most suitable with Vietnam context and also to carry out the control trial research. The expected results of the project LIFE DM – Transition to scale are:

Strengthened capacity of the partners

Building facility and capacity for trainers/supervisors team training in the following main areas: how to work with community – community mapping, animation, collaborative stepped care for management of Depression, income generation, micro-finance loan, vocational training, individual and groups therapy for depression management

Increased awareness of stakeholders, people in community on mental health, advocacy

Behavior change communication, social mobilization will be done. BNVN also advocates for the inclusion of its services in the mainstream development efforts: screening, tests, psychotherapy to be paid by the health insurance, a major part of livelihoods services to be connected with national programs (in micro-finance loan, housing, water and sanitation, vocational training).

Provided quality services for people with depression through community based approach

BNVN provides community-based services on mental health care (screening, psycho-education, diagnosis, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, relaxation, rehabilitation), livelihood (loan, vocational training, job placement, breeding, means of production, small business setup…) 

LIFE DM model for Vietnam assessed, improved, and disseminated

The model will be assessed through the systematic study: patient outcome, system outcome, service costing, return on investment. The evidence will be used to adapt the model to make it most suitable for Vietnam context, and the services will be approved and adopted by the formal systems of the government. The information generated from the project will be disseminated to key stakeholders include Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs (MOLISA), WHO, WU and donors.

Main achievement:

• Mobilized 1M CAD cash and in kind matching fund.
• Worked in 2 provinces of Da Nang and Thua Thien Hue: 

• 2 psychiatric hospitals
• 2 provincial Women’s Union centers
• 1 social work center
• 8 communes: Phu Ho, Phu Thuong, Thuy Duong, Thuy Thanh from Thua Thien Hue and Khue Trung, Hoa Xuan, An Khe, Chinh Gian from Da Nang

• Delivered 24 training courses (77 days) for partners: 
  • 40 village health workers/collaborators, 16 general practitioners (GP) from 8 commune health station, 3 GPs from District Health Centers, 7 doctors and 6 psychologists from provincial level
  • 16 WU leaders from commune level, 3 WU leaders from district level, 10 WU leaders from provincial level
  • 186 service users on farming, livestock, saving, small business management, cooking…
• Reached 1972 people with high risk of having depression
• Provided depression care services for 481 people, in which 148 are poor women and 64 poor women also received loan and livelihood supports.
• Established 22 LIFE DM groups for poor women. Group members will receive group based psychotherapy and livelihood supports to overcome both depression and poverty, they also receive training to improve their problem solving skills.
• Establishment of The Center of Excellence with trainers from BasicNeeds and selected partners staff.

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