Both are true! Numerous studies have shown that when you help an African Mom, the downstream effects are significantly more substantial. Globally, women have a depression rate of 1.5 times higher than that of men. An African woman with depression, compared with her healthy peers, suffers greatly: she is less productive, has a lower income, and has poorer physical health. If she is a Mother, the negative impact extends to her entire family. Research shows that children of depressed Mothers are more likely to have poor health, struggle in or miss school, and suffer from depression themselves.
Furthermore, because depression impairs the ability to focus and concentrate, depression sufferers do not respond to health initiatives or livelihood trainings, rendering these programs less effective.
This impaired ability to function in day-to-day life creates profound hardship in Uganda and Zambia, where life is community-centered and reliant on each person fulfilling her role and where depression carries a great stigma. When a woman cannot perform her social responsibilities, she can become a target of criticism and social exclusion. Women in these communities also often have far less access to resources.
Both are true! Numerous studies have shown that when you help an African Mom, the downstream effects are significantly more substantial. Globally, women have a depression rate of 1.5 times higher than that of men. An African woman with depression, compared with her healthy peers, suffers greatly: she is less productive, has a lower income, and has poorer physical health. If she is a Mother, the negative impact extends to her entire family. Research shows that children of depressed Mothers are more likely to have poor health, struggle in or miss school, and suffer from depression themselves.
Furthermore, because depression impairs the ability to focus and concentrate, depression sufferers do not respond to health initiatives or livelihood trainings, rendering these programs less effective.
This impaired ability to function in day-to-day life creates profound hardship in Uganda and Zambia, where life is community-centered and reliant on each person fulfilling her role and where depression carries a great stigma. When a woman cannot perform her social responsibilities, she can become a target of criticism and social exclusion. Women in these communities also often have far less access to resources.