MIND was awarded Covid-19 grant in October 2020 to support activities targeting the BAME community in Scotland by Next Step Initiative and the proposal included capacity building (training and equipment – iPad and laptops), Mental Health awareness (website development [https://bame.mind-uk.org] and production and translation of mental health information leaflet into 5 languages).
MIND developed working partnerships with the Scottish government, Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO), the Diaspora Volunteering Alliance (an alliance of 14 Diaspora Volunteering Organisations in the UK linked with VSO), the Scotland-Malawi Partnership (SMP) and the Malawi government.
Needs Assessment was done in Malawi; a skills audit was carried out amongst Malawians living in the UK. The research confirmed not only that there is a huge and wide range of available expertise, but also willingness amongst Malawians to return to Malawi to undertake various tasks on a voluntary basis. The research was funded by DFID and supported by VSO.