In an effort to ensure women’s overall health and well-being during these challenging times, Connected Women partners with Infinit Care to provide comprehensive and customized mental health support to its community
In celebration of International Women’s Month this March, Connected Women, a global community of women empowered by technology, has secured a partnership with Infinit Care to provide free access to a tech-based mental health platform for its community. Infinit Care is a mental health-tech company that works with businesses and organizations to provide their employees and community with comprehensive mental health support.
Through this initiative, the platform will provide access to potentially 75,000 women all over the Philippines. The Connected Women community will be given access to self-care tools and resources (content and daily check-in tracking), 24/7 chat support, and customized mental health education and training sessions delivered virtually through webinars.
Women’s mental health struggles
The pandemic has taken its toll on people's mental health, especially on women. The World Health Organization found that mental illness is prevalent in the Philippines. In fact, it is the third most common disability in the country.
[1] The National Center for Mental Health also recorded a 500% increase in monthly hotline calls due to depression during the pandemic.
[2]
“Our Connected Women members reach out to us every day as they struggle to navigate the impact of the pandemic on their work and personal lives," shared Gina Romero, Co-Founder and CEO of Connected Women.
Romero also talked about how women are more prone to mental health challenges compared to men. "According to CARE International’s Rapid Gender Analysis on the impact of the pandemic across 38 countries, the number of women who reported mental health challenges was three times more than men, with over a quarter of women reporting increased mental health struggles including stress and anxiety."
Women helping one another
Infinit Care hopes to provide more comprehensive support to women through this partnership.
"Everyone needs different kinds of care at different times. By partnering with Connected Women, we hope to offer accessible customized care that will help each and every community member better understand and take control of their mental wellbeing,” said Infinit Care CEO, Rudi Ramin.
"Our partnership with Infinit Care means the women in our community will have access to professional mental health first aid whenever they need someone to talk to. We are immensely grateful to Infinit Care for extending this generous and much needed support,” added Romero.
Infinit Care General Manager, Anne Ordona, shared how significant the program is to her, and how important it was that women support each other. “As a woman in business juggling many other roles and responsibilities such as daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, breadwinner,– I am intimately familiar with the mental load women carry on a daily basis," she explained. "The hope is that through this partnership, ConnectedWomen and Infinit Care can bring real support to the Connected Women community and help women overcome challenges like stress, anxiety, depression. It’s not about enabling women to do it all–it’s about leaning on each other and supporting one another so we can show up the best way we can.”
[1] Martinez, A.B., Co, M., Lau, J. et al. Filipino help-seeking for mental health problems and associated barriers and facilitators: a systematic review. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 55, 1397–1413 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01937-2
[2] World Health Organization. (n.d.). Doh and who promote holistic mental health wellness in light of World Suicide Prevention Day. World Health Organization. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://www.who.int/philippines/news/detail/10-09-2020-doh-and-who-promote-holistic-mental-health-wellness-in-light-of-world-suicide-prevention-day