Addressing the mental health needs of adolescents in Tanzania and Viet Nam through the co-creation of digital and non-digital solutions

Foundation Botnar has awarded ODI and our in-country partners — the Tanzanian Training Centre for International Health (TTCIH) and the Center of Research, Information and Services in Psychology (CRISP) at the Vietnam National University, University of Education, a 2.5-year project to address the mental health needs of adolescents in schools, in the community and at institutional level in Tanzania and Viet Nam through the co-creation and application of digital and non-digital approaches and technologies. The objectives of the project include:

• Identifying drivers of mental ill-health amongst adolescents taking into account underlying social norms that may be driving mental distress
• Co-creating and designing digital technology solutions or applications and other approaches with adolescents, teachers and local authorities to support in enhancing the mental health and overall wellbeing of adolescents
• Reviewing and adapting the developed applications and approaches through mixed method baseline and end line study and ongoing feedback loops
• Documenting the effectiveness of the technology-based solutions tested by the project for mental health problems