ADDIS ABABA (ENA) – Addis Ababa City Administration has given 3,000 square meters of land to Gergesenon Association for Supporting People with Mental Disorder, the Ethiopian News Agency reported on 12th June 2021. A foundation stone was also laid for the rehabilitation center to be built on the site.
During the handover ceremony, Gergesenon Association founder and general manager Ato Melese Ayele said that the rehabilitation center will cover 2,500 square meters and its construction will cost 150 million Birr. Upon completion, the center will increase the number of mentally ill people it supports from the current 450 to 3,000, he added.
The general manager called on the community to support and realize the construction of the center.
Addis Ababa City Administration general manager with a rank of Deputy Mayor, Ato Tiratu Beyene stated that the city administration will support the project until it is completed. He called on the community to play its part by visiting, showing support, and standing with the patients.
Founded 15 years ago, Gergesenon Association for Supporting People with Mental Disorder is currently assisting 450 mentally ill people and children, it was learned. It is a local charity association established by a voluntary youth to support the needy and helpless people with mental disorders living on streets or around religious facilities.
The main focus of Gergesenon Association is to collect mental patients from streets and different religious destinations as to provide them shelter, food, medication and to look after them like the family of their own. But the feeding situation is a serious problem for the association, per its website, as there is no permanent income or fund from the government or any other body. Patients are being fed and supported by volunteers or visitors, hence there are times that the patients in the facility don’t get food if volunteers or visitors are scarce and this has been the challenge for the charity. Unless the charity gets some sort of constant income or income generating method, this critical issue remains precarious and threatens the future of the charity. Visit their website by clicking here.
Source: ENA