About us
Volunteers for Mental Health (VfMH) is a small UK registered charity run by a Board of Trustees in the UK, many of whom have volunteered in Romania. The board is supported by an Active Members group and by a number of volunteers with specialist skills. We are grateful to all of our wonderful supporters, both individuals and organisations who so generously give us their time, their expertise and their financial support. Volunteers have been the life blood of the charity over many years and the volunteering ethos remains a fundamental part of who we are. However we recognise that volunteering alone cannot meet all of our strategic objectives so we are building a strong team of local staff on the ground. Our local team provides much needed contact and support for long-term patients in the institution, and are constantly looking for ways to improve their quality of life. They also work with local communities to raise awareness, overcome prejudice and promote positive attitudes towards mental health. We are committed to creating change because institutionalisation denies people opportunities to make choices in their lives. There are hundreds of people living in institutions across Europe, not because they need or want to be there but simply because there are no other options. Many have lived here for decades without hope for the future. Relationships with loved ones are often lost or damaged and individuals lose the opportunity to have control over their own lives and make their own decisions. Our aim is to support individuals affected in this way, and to work towards positive change for them, their families and communities. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to work towards a better future and to have choices about matters that affect them, regardless of disability, age, background or ethnicity. We are a registered charity (no: 1082385) and a company limited by guarantee (no: 3562166). |
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