Teachers lobby in drive to raise funds for wellness centre

Teachers lobby in drive to raise funds for wellness centre

Teachers lobby in drive to raise funds for wellness centre

A nationwide walk by teachers is being organized today to collect money for the building of a wellness center, as the number of tutors suffering from mental health disorders continues to rise.

The activity began in the counties yesterday, according to Benta Opande, Chief Executive of Kenya Women Teachers’ Association (Kewota), and will conclude with a national event at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi.

Affirmative Action and Gender PS: The walk that ends at Nyayo Stadium will be graced by PS Anne Wang’ombe.

At least one in four tutors experience mental illness and anguish, according to Opande, who also stated that Kewota will collaborate with other organizations.

“We have lost 100 teachers to suicide in the last three years, and those are the ones that are reported,” the speaker stated.

According to her, talks are on for the association to purchase land for the center.

We are collaborating with the Nairobi branch of the Kenya National Union of Teachers since they have a land program in Joska. The bulk of the funding will go toward purchasing the land after the walk, as we have agreed with them,” the spokesperson stated.

According to Kewota, financial hardship, marital violence, and other family issues are the root causes of mental health issues among teachers. “Teachers are prone to alcoholism, particularly those who are male. The family and their institutions do not comprehend them because they have so much locked up inside of them, Opande added.

“Teachers should have their own wellness center,” There is one run by TSC, but if you listen to instructors, a lot of them claim that the employer is to blame for the issue, thus they are hesitant to use the wellness center as it currently stands.

The seriousness of the issue was highlighted in TSC’s 2021–2022 annual report, which showed that one in four teachers requesting outpatient care has a mental health illness.