Ngaramtoni, like many communities globally, grapples with a complex interplay of challenges.
Excessive alcohol consumption among men has placed significant strain on families, often forcing women to take on high-interest business loans to support their households.
This economic pressure, coupled with the emotional toll of caregiving and limited support systems, has led to high levels of psychosocial stress.
The climate crisis has made the situation worse.
The community’s vulnerability to extreme weather events, such as the April 2024 devastating floods in northern Tanzania, has had a profound impact on mental well-being.
Since November 2023, Tanzania has experienced heavy rains caused by an intense El Niño and Indian Ocean dipole system.
The resulting floods and landslides have claimed many lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
To address these interconnected issues, our fieldwork aimed to provide comprehensive support to the Ngaramtoni community.
Forty-nine students from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa (SONAM EA), participated in this initiative.
SONAM EA remains committed to community mental health sensitization, as demonstrated by past student visits to Mirembe National Mental Hospital for clinical practice.
There, they worked with civil patients suffering from chronic mental illnesses requiring long-term hospitalization.
Additionally, the students rotated at the Isanga institution to study forensic psychiatry, focusing on patients who had committed offenses due to their mental illness and were undergoing psychosocial rehabilitation.
Over the past two years, SONAM EA and AKU’s Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER) have worked together to champion integration of mental and community health with climate change.
The two entities leveraged each other’s expertise to understand health trends influenced by climate change.
We implemented stress management workshops in an open-air market, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions, and community outreach programmes to mitigate the effects of excessive alcohol consumption and its related mental health consequences.
Simultaneously, efforts were made to enhance community resilience to climate change through education, planning, and support.
By integrating mental health, community health, and climate change, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of the complex factors influencing the community’s well-being.
This holistic approach allowed us to develop more effective interventions and empower community members to build resilience.
The experience in Ngaramtoni highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to addressing public health challenges.
By integrating mental health, community health, and climate change, we can better understand the root causes of suffering and develop effective interventions.
It is imperative that future healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate these complex issues and create healthier, more resilient communities.
The author is a faculty member at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa. Any opinions expressed are solely those of the writer
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Britam half-year net profit hits Sh2bn on higher investment income
Insurer and financial services provider Britam posted a 22.5 percent jump in net earnings for the half-year ended June 2024, to Sh2 billion, buoyed by increased investment income.
The rise in half-year net profit from Sh1.64 billion posted in a similar period last year came on the back of net investment income rising 2.5 times to Sh13.27 billion from Sh5.3 billion.
“We are confident in the growth and performance trend that Britam has achieved, supported by its subsidiaries in Kenya and the region. Our business is expanding its revenue base while effectively managing costs,” Britam Chief Executive Officer Tom Gitogo said.
“Our customer-centric approach is fueling growth in our customer base and product uptake, particularly through micro-insurance, partnerships, and digital channels.”
The investment income growth was fueled by interest and dividend income rising 34 percent to Sh9.1 billion, which the insurer attributed to growth in revenue and the gains from the realignment of the group’s investment portfolio.
Britam also booked a Sh3.79 billion gain on financial assets at a fair value, compared with a Sh1.8 billion loss posted in a similar period last year.
The increased investment income helped offset the 12.7 percent decline in net insurance service result to Sh2.13 billion in the wake of claims paid out rising at a faster pace than that of premiums received.
Britam said insurance revenue, which is money from written premiums, increased to Sh17.8 billion from Sh16.6 billion, primarily driven by growth in the Kenya insurance business and regional general insurance businesses, which contributed 30 percent of the revenue.
The group has a presence in seven countries in Africa namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Britam’s insurance service expense hit Sh13.6 billion from Sh11.3 billion, while net insurance finance expenses rose 2.6 times to Sh12.3 billion during the same period.
“Net insurance finance expenses increased mainly due to growth in interest cost for the deposit administration business driven by better investment performance. This has also been impacted by a decline in the yield curve, which has led to an increase in the insurance contract liabilities. The increase has been offset by a matching increase in fair value gain on assets,” said Britam.
Britam’s growth in profit is in line with that of other Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed insurers, which have seen a rise in profits.
Jubilee Holdings net profit in the six months increased by 22.7 percent to Sh2.5 billion on increased income from insurance, helping the insurer maintain Sh2 per share interim dividend.
CIC Insurance Group posted a 0.64 percent rise in net profit to Sh709.99 million in the same period as net earnings of Liberty Kenya nearly tripled to Sh632 million from Sh213 million, while Sanlam Kenya emerged from a loss to post a Sh282.2 million net profit.
