PeruTeQuiero Empoderado

Team Leader

Arianna Pepper

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

One-line solution summary:

Improve the access to free mental health services at national level, and promote emotional well being of peruvian in the context of pandemic

Pitch your solution.

According to a study from the Ministry of Health and WHO from May 2020, 70% of Peruvians stated that their mental health had been affected due to the pandemic and quarantine. COVID-19 worsened a situation that was already a mental health emergency in our country, with over one third of our population affected by mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety before the pandemic, and over 80% of Peruvians who did not receive any treatment.

PeruTeQuiero Empoderado was born as a response to this critical situation. Throughout a national campaign to help reduce mental health stigma, over 120 volunteer psychologists trained by the Ministry of Health and the Pontifical Catholic University, we offer free psychological services to approximately 200 people per month.

If scaled globally, we could especially help other countries in Latin America which have a similar mental health background and that have been severely affected by the pandemic.

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

Peruvian citizens have had a lack of support for mental health for a while and the pandemic has worsened this problem. It is known that approximately 70% of peruvian citizens have suffered at some point during the pandemic of mental issues, being 5.1% of Peruvians in extreme poverty, thus many citizens had the inability to pay for a specialist to treat their mental issues. An average psychologist costs around 80 and 150 soles (20-40 dollars), being considered a person in poverty one that earns less than 340 soles (90 dollars). A lot of Peruvians can't afford the cost of psychological therapy or counseling.

- According to MINSA, 7 out of 10 people state that their mental health has been affected by the pandemic and quarantine. Many Peruvians do not feel the freedom to talk about our emotions, and this is something that together we try to change. We

want to build a country empowered, where no one has fear of sharing their feelings or to ask help.

What is your solution?

We have created a communication campaign that promotes greater openness towards mental health conversations and normalizes the request for help with the help of key opinion leaders and influencers. Thisalso contributed to visibilize the importance of mental health for overall well-being and encouraged the creation of support networks.

- After that, we implemented a system of free psychological and counseling services, with the help of our allied telemedicine company Medical Innovation & Technology and 120 psychologist volunteers which receive training by the Mental Health Ministry Department and the Faculty of Psychology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). Until now we have offered help to approximately 200 people per month across Peru.
- And through benchmarking and research we plan to develop new strategies, partner with other strategic companies, increase our number of trained volunteers and, with the objective of expanding to regions of Perú and increasing the number of people helped.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution is aimed at people who live with mental illness, who are grieving or sick with Covid-19, who feel anxiety and depression due to the uncertainty of the future or who want to better manage their emotions. We attend people from all ages, from kids to elders, who lack resources to pay for a psychologist or counselor.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Combat loneliness, stress, depression, and other mental health impacts of disease outbreaks.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

Our project lessens the negative consequences that the pandemic has brought to our mental health. The project has the lines of action to combat loneliness, stress and depression through emotional support and access to free mental health services.

- Also, we have a call to action to send a stigma free message to citizens through social networks with the objective to normalize conversations about mental health and make the importance of mental health visible.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Lima, Peru

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

We selected the growth stage level of development because our organization has an already established project and business plan, and have developed it across Peru. We have achieved our goals in the short term by gathering approximately 120 trained volunteer psychologists and around 200 patients who take advantage of free services. We have benchmarked our project with others that do similar activities and are planning a strategy to grow in Peru.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Alvaro Henzler

Partnership & Prize Funding Opportunities

Solution Team:

Arianna Pepper