UCL Union

Mental Health International Development is a new not profit organisation launched on 1st Jan 2005. MHID is registered in the UK. MHID exists to empower people with mental health problems to take control of own lives and contribute to the primarily with an international perspective. It is concerned to provide support to community based mental health care, promote deinstitutionalisation, campaign to end stigma and to ensure that people with mental health problems are accorded full human rights. It will achieve this through support and development for self-help and advocacy initiatives, NGO capacity building-building, promotion of inclusive mental health policy and active involvement of service users. MHID has a global perspective and is currently focused in central and eastern Europe, the Caucasus, with central Asia, India, and East Africa. MHID delivers a range of activities including training and development, grant making capacity building, public action, campaigning, lobbying, research and evaluation. It will work in close co-operation with existing mental health organisations and agencies to ensure that the interests of people who are socially excluded are always on the agenda. MHID wishes to recruit volunteers to undertake desk-based research to support the work of the MHID team. Research will focus on exploring new geographical areas of interest for MHID and new conceptual areas. Current priorities are Ugandan mental health and quality assurance systems in international mental health. The researcher will be expected to collect relevant data, summarise the findings and assist MHID with the planning of new projects and activities. The volunteer will learn how to apply their research and academic skills in a real world situation to support vulnerable people around the world. MHID will provide full support and induct the volunteer as part of the team. MHID works virtually and the volunteer will be expected to work from their own base. Regular support, supervision and career development will be provided.