Gede became a BasicNeeds Franchisee in March 2016 (the first in Nigeria), and will implement a community based mental health development programme that seeks to address stigma and increases access to quality treatment and services for people suffering from mental illness, including epilepsy.

Within the first quarter of this year, a number of preliminary activities have been carried out to ensure effective participation from all stakeholders including the Government of Nigeria.

Recently, 10 Community Based Volunteers within the two selected project locations were trained in Mararaba Health Facility on BasicNeeds’ community based mental health development model.

The two day training allowed participants to understand the 5 modules of the model and how that contributes to the purpose of improving the lives of people with mental illness and epilepsy. Community Volunteers are central in the project and are expected to deliver the necessary support in all community-related activities within the project cycle.