The Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation (CALMHAF) has advocated regular engagements to discuss and tackle societal and family challenges that affect the physical and mental health of men.
Founder of the foundation, Rev. Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, made the call on Wednesday in Enugu during a men’s safe space forum with the theme: “Starting the conversation that saved lives in Enugu”.
Rev. Nwachukwu said that the forum brought together men from different professions and backgrounds to speak openly about their lives for the very first time in an environment devoid of judgment and the pressure to perform.
He said that the participants at the forum discussed openly issues that silently crush men, including the unrelenting pressure of the provider and protector roles and financial struggles.
Rev. Nwachukwu, who is also a trained mental health practitioner, noted that the participants discussed sexual health challenges, family relationships, decision-making under stress, conflict resolution, and the toll all these take on mental and emotional well-being.
“Every participant received a free mental health screening using questionnaires, giving many their first objective glimpse into anxiety and depression they had been carrying alone.
“The forum (gathering) was also a sacred ground. No lectures, no shaming, no man-up clichés. Just men listening to men.
“Some fathers (participants) admitted the terror of not being able to pay their children’s school fees. Husbands (participants) confessed to years of silence that had turned into resentment at home.
“Men spoke of erectile difficulties and the secret fear that they were no longer men. Others opened up about things they had never shared, not even with their wives.
“As each story was met with nods of recognition and shared experience instead of judgment, something visible shifted in the moods/emotions of the participants,” he said.
Rev. Nwachukwu said that participants, who are community leaders, pledged to plan smaller men’s safe-space gatherings in churches, workplaces, and neighbourhoods to build peace and reduce all forms of violence at home.
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“WhatsApp groups were created for ongoing support, and monthly men’s conversations are already being scheduled for continued support,” he said.
Founder of Lead Network Africa, Mr. Chukwuma Okenwa, who commended CALMHAF for organising the forum, said that the participants felt truly understood as men.
“Today, bottled emotions were released, stress levels plummeted, and dangerous coping mechanisms were replaced with practical pathways forward.
“The participants (husbands) pledged to start talking honestly with their wives instead of withdrawing or exploding.
“They vowed to model positive emotional honesty and culture to their sons, breaking generations of toxic silence and unnecessary aggressiveness,” Okenwa said.
