TFK Southern Africa Project “Competence fostering on mental health literacy for global nursing education” aims to promote the international cooperation between Turku UAS and Southern Africa Nazarene University. With this project we want to solidify the already existing cooperation and balance out the mobility flows and want to refresh our ways of learning and teaching by bringing new innovative eLearning tools combined onsite held intensive periods for students and teachers as well. In addition, we want on focus on increasing of mental health literacy on which is proved by the evidence to be crucial need on nursing practices in both Eswatini and Finland. The project also brings us major value on increasing students, HEI teachers and nursing professionals’ new cultural competences and knowledge about good nursing practices related to mental health. In this project, we also will create the possibilities for students and teachers to get familiarized with the practices of different mental health care units in Eswatini and Finland. By enforced nursing education, we aim to get the deeper understanding about the current good progress and the challenges still faced on the mental health care field. 

The main objectives are:  

1. To improve awareness, knowledge and skills related to mental health literacy of student nurses and teachers at HEI Health Care Faculties in Eswatini and Finland. 
2. To increase the cultural understanding of the mental health issues, problems and solutions within students and teachers on both in Eswatini and Finland 
3. To benchmark good practices in mental health nursing and promotion between Eswatini and Finland 
4. To create a sustainable educational module of mental health for bachelor level nursing students which respective the Southern- Northern cultural differences and similarities  
5. To increase both Eswatini and Finnish HEI teachers’ competence on mental health and as well their pedagogical skills on eLearning and the most suitable ways of teaching mental health nursing

 
Expected Results:   

• Refreshed developed educational package on mental health for Bachelor level nursing students 
• New pedagogical framework/handbook for learning/teaching of mental health nursing for HEI teachers 
• Renewed model of Shared Good Practices- Mobility program for Southern-Northern Nursing education between Eswatini-Finland