BasicNeeds Ghana

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BasicNeeds Ghana

Enabling people with mental illness or epilepsy to live and work successfully in their communities. In 2002, we commenced our operations.

After perceiving a desperate lack of real mental health care in lower and middle income countries, Chris Underhill, out of the UK, founded BasicNeeds and helped develop a new approach called the Model for Mental Health and Development. BasicNeeds Ghana is a mental health and development advocacy organisation, registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation in Ghana. Currently, we implement and promo

te initiatives to transform the lives of people with mental illness or epilepsy in 6 regions of Ghana. We hope to empower individuals, families and communities to overcome abuse, stigmatization and their conditions.

08/05/2026

On Wednesday, 6th May 2026, BasicNeeds Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, convened stakeholders from national, regional, and district levels across government health institutions, development partners, civil society, and the media in Accra for the 2nd National Mental Health & HIV/TB Stakeholder Meeting.

The meeting was organized under the Expertise France-funded project, with a focus on building a national agenda for strengthening integrated Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in HIV, TB, and Maternal & Child Health services.

Participants also explored effective delivery of the ongoing project and opportunities for scalable implementation at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level.

L'Initiative World Health Organization Ghana Mental Health Authority The Global Fund Ghana AIDS Commission CPRI-Ghana Mental Health Society of Ghana Christian Health Association of Ghana - CHAG

21/04/2026

Last Wednesday, 15th April 2026, the Community Advisory Board (CAB) of the HOPE-Research Project convened to reflect on the critical role of lived experience in the next phase of the project.

The Project Coordinator, Azuure Stanislaus, provided the Board with key implementation updates, including a review of the Theory of Change and progress on the development of the Multi-Stakeholder Team (MST) Manual.

CAB members also participated in an engaging session led by the CAB Convener and LEAG member, Hannan Legend, The session introduced key concepts such as Peer Support, Trauma-Informed Care, and De-escalation, essential approaches for effective and compassionate community-based mental health work.

Members offered valuable inputs to strengthen these processes, emphasizing the importance of inclusive lived experience expertise, promoting diverse perspectives within the MST, and investing in capacity-building to deepen lived experience advocacy within Ghana’s mental health and development landscape.

Eleven out of the twelve CAB members were in attendance, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing inclusive and impactful change. We appreciate the continued commitment of CAB members in shaping a more inclusive, responsive, and impactful project.

01/04/2026

🎉 A Historic milestone for Mothers and Mental Health in Ghana

Yesterday marked a major milestone as Ghana officially launched its first-ever National Maternal Mental Health Policy, and we at BasicNeeds-Ghana are incredibly proud to have been part of this journey.

Over ten years ago, when perinatal depression and maternal mental health challenges were barely discussed, we took a bold step to act. Through Ghana’s first maternal mental health project, we generated vital evidence showing that:
👉 Maternal mental health conditions are widespread
👉 Community-based support is not only possible, but it is essential.

That evidence helped lay the groundwork for what has been achieved.

Evidence showed that perinatal depression affects up to 50% of women in Ghana, yet less that 10% of them receive care.
For too long:
❌ There was no national policy
❌ No routine screening
❌ No clear referral systems

This is beginning to change.
Now, we must act, going beyond the paperwork and public pronouncement:

✅ Government institutions must prioritize funding and implementation
✅ Health workers need capacity building to identify and support mothers.
✅ Development Partners must invest in sustainable solutions
✅ Traditional and religious larders, and communities must contribute to end stigma

💚 Every mother deserves to be seen, supported, and cared for, fully and holistically.

We remain committed to ensuring this policy becomes real change in the lives of pregnant women, postpartum mothers and their children.

Mental Health Authority Ghana Health Service World Health Organization Ghana

30/03/2026

Join us!!!

09/03/2026

Building strong research teams is key to delivering impactful community programs.

Last week, BasicNeeds Ghana hosted a three-day capacity-building training for Research Assistants in Tamale, focused on research protocols and ethics, digital data entry, and child abuse identification and reporting.

The training was organized in collaboration with New York University (USA) and the University of Ghana, Legon under the Anzansi Family Program: a family-based initiative supporting female youth at risk of Kaya work and their families in Northern Ghana. The project is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Through interactive and hands-on sessions, participants strengthened their understanding of research procedures, ethical responsibilities, digital data collection platforms, and survey instruments. The training also equipped them with the knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and appropriately respond to cases of child abuse during field research.

By strengthening the technical capacity and confidence of Research Assistants, this training helps ensure that research conducted within communities is ethical, accurate, and responsive to the protection of vulnerable children and families.

06/03/2026

I 🇬🇭 Au Ghana, seule une minorité de personnes ayant des besoins en santé mentale ont accès aux soins et aux traitements.
Le projet soutenu renforce l’intégration des services centrés sur les personnes en matière de VIH, de tuberculose, de santé sexuelle et reproductive, en mettant l’accent sur les femmes et les adolescentes les plus vulnérables.
Peter Badimak Yaro, directeur exécutif de BasicNeeds Ghana, explique le contexte, l’approche et la mise en œuvre du projet ➡️ https://linitiative.expertisefrance.fr/ameliorer-la-sante-maternelle-et-infantile-des-femmes-les-plus-vulnerables-au-ghana/

02/03/2026

Today, we were honoured to host a delegation from Colombia, led by Dr. Geoffrey Reed, Director of the Colombia–WHO Centre for Global Mental Health, and Dr. Ohemaa Poku, Assistant Professor of Global Mental Health at Columbia University, alongside members of the International Advisory Board and researchers.

Our Executive Director, Dr. Peter Badimak Yaro, shared insights into BasicNeeds-Ghana’s integrated, community-based, and people-centered mental health and psychosocial support work in Ghana over the years. People with lived experience and District Mental Health Focal Persons from Ledzokuku and Krowor also contributed powerful perspectives on community mental health delivery.

The visit fostered meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange, and new opportunities for collaboration, reinforcing the value of community-centered approaches and global partnerships in advancing mental health.

13/02/2026

Today, we stood with the Mental Health Authority and collaborators at the 2026 Show Your Love Campaign Durbar.

Under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Show Your Love,” we called on families, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, peers in schools, community members, and health facilities, as basic social units where stigma is largely felt, to show love and support for people with mental health conditions in their circles.

We reaffirmed our commitment to community-based mental health systems, stigma reduction, and advocacy for equitable access to essential mental health services and medications

Together, let’s create communities where everyone feels valued, supported, and included.

Mental Health Ghana Advocacy
Mental Health Society of Ghana
CPRI-Ghana

12/02/2026

BasicNeeds Ghana, in collaboration with its partners, will urgently call on the NHIS Ghana to address the implementation delays in the NHIS coverage of the four major mental health conditions (Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, and Schizophrenia), which was announced to take effect from November 1, 2024. Timely implementation of this policy is critical to improving access to essential mental health services and medications for vulnerable populations across Ghana.

Last week, we conducted a supportive monitoring visit to the Milenovisi Self-Help Group in Dove, Central Tongu District, led by the Programme Assistant, Cecilia Ashaley. The engagement aimed to gather updates on the group’s progress, understand their ongoing challenges, and provide support for their activity planning for the year.

The SHG, comprising persons with mental health conditions and their primary caregivers, many of whom were severely affected by the Akosombo dam spillage and subsequent flooding, has maintained consistent monthly meetings over the past year. From their reports, these meetings focused on providing psychosocial peer support, sharing experiences in self-care, and strengthening home-based management of their conditions.

Group members expressed deep concern about the persistent unavailability of psychotropic and anti-epilepsy medications, as well as their inability to afford these essential medicines on the open market. This has resulted in frequent relapses, reduced ability to engage in productive activities, and limited participation in social life. "Most of the patients are represented in the group meetings by their caregivers because of the increased rate of relapses among service users over the past few months," said the group secretary.

The frequent stock-out of essential psychotropic medicines remains a longstanding national challenge, undermining efforts to advance community-based and integrated mental healthcare in Ghana. This situation is further exacerbated by the inadequate prioritization of mental health within government social protection schemes, including the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.

Mental Health Authority
Ministry of Health, Ghana
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection
Ghana Health Service
World Health Organization Ghana
Mental Health Society of Ghana

10/02/2026

BasicNeeds Ghana, represented by our Programme Coordinator (Accra Office), was honoured to participate in high-impact workshops at the 4th Global Mental Health Advocacy Forum ( ) in Iloilo City, Philippines 🇵🇭.

The forum, organized by the Global Mental Health Action Network, brought together over 2000 leading minds in global mental health and grassroots advocates from across 100+ countries, with one mission: No voice left behind!

On the workshop tables and side meetings, we shared key insights into BasicNeeds-Ghana’s work and the Ghanaian context, highlighting priority areas for sustainable mental health care and investment, including a reliable supply of essential psychotropic medicines, scaling community-based mental health services, strengthening the mental health workforce, and reducing stigma through cultural and system reforms.

Our engagement deepened learning on community-based mental health, integrating mental health into Universal Health Coverage (UHC), advancing participation and leadership of people with lived experience, and strengthening youth advocacy. These sessions strengthened our global partnerships and reinforced the urgency of rights-based, community-driven mental health systems.

Our long-standing partnership with the United for Global Mental Health and the Global Mental Health Action Network helps ensure that government commitments at the international and national levels to mental health are not only stated but also implemented.

United for Global Mental Health

30/01/2026

Exciting update from BasicNeeds-Ghana

We're taking crucial steps to improve maternal mental health in Ghana 🇬🇭

Today, we were involved in a workshop with key health officials from the Greater Accra Region at the Regional Health Directorate in Accra to deliberate on strengthening Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) and to validate the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening tool.
This tool will help boost detection and care for pregnant women & post-partum mothers facing HIV, TB, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Key aspects of the meeting included

📊 Project overview & presentation on perinatal depression
✍️ Hands-on practice with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening tool
💬 Feedback session to strengthen maternal mental health services

This meeting builds on our earlier stakeholder meeting on advancing the inclusion of mental health screening in the Maternal and Child Health Record Book.

Appreciation to our partners, the Ghana Health Service and Mental Health Society of Ghana for collaborating and sharing valuable insights with us on this vital initiative under the Expertise France -funded project titled “Strengthening community health systems to enhance integrated people-centred HIV, TB, SRH and MHPSS for vulnerable women and adolescents in Ghana.”

L'Initiative

Address

Opp UDS Central Admin, Off Main Tamale-Kumasi Road
Tamale
P.OBOXTL1146

Telephone

+233372023566

Website

https://basicneedsghana.org/

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