Recently our Ngalu Fānifo team spent time with community leaders, health workers, church representatives, NGOs, and families to test and strengthen a community-based mental health model.
What was shared was both simple and profound: people don’t usually start by going to a clinic when something is wrong. They go to someone they trust—family, a church leader, a nurse they know, a neighbour, or a community elder. Trust, not systems, is what opens the door.
Across stakeholder discussions, there was strong support for moving mental health support closer to everyday community life. But there was also honesty about what needs to be strengthened: clearer referral pathways, stronger recovery support, and more practical training for those expected to step into support roles.
One of the strongest themes was the role of community champions—trusted local people who can help identify distress early, listen well, and guide people toward support.
Alongside these conversations, the team delivered community mental health training sessions in Hihifo, facilitated by Dr Etuini Ma’u and Dr Sione Vaka. These sessions focused on early recognition of distress, practical responses, and identifying potential community champions.
'Anau Taumou, a nurse at Kolovai Health Centre, was in attendance, also sharing that she had attended the training session hosted last year in July by the Ngalu Fānifo team.
"I picked up more important tools, like self-talk and how to empower others. When mothers come to our centre, I use those tools to help bring them closure, especially empowering them to be supportive of their families."
She acknowledged the benefits of the programme for the wider community, saying "taking part in this programme will help people a lot – not only physically, but mentally, as well as socially."
Supported by the Australian Government and delivered by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), the programme seeks to strengthen what already exists within communities, bolstering support through co-design and collaboration.
