A powerful new movement for mental health is taking shape in Ghana’s Adaklu District. Earlier this month, the Grow Your Dream Foundation Ghana (GYDF), in partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), convened a one-day training workshop that brought together teachers, students, traditional leaders, and community representatives. The event is part of a new Mental Health Awareness Creation Project, funded by Germany’s Schmitz Stiftungen and Health Information Technologies for Africa (HITA). The project is set to become a milestone in the district’s efforts to break the silence around mental health.
The workshop, attended by participants from ten communities and three senior high schools (EPC Mawuko Girls’, Adaklu Senior High, and Gbekor Senior High) aimed to build local capacity to identify, support, and refer individuals struggling with mental health challenges. Using lively discussions, role plays, and real-life examples, facilitators from the GHS—Adaklu District (District Mental Health Officers Mr. Nukafo Jones and Eric Tsetse Worlanyo) helped participants unpack myths surrounding mental illness and explore practical strategies for promoting well-being.
“Our goal is not only to raise awareness but to build a culture of care and support,” said Mr. Gaba Linus Deladem of GYDF, explaining the project’s dual focus on school-based and community-based interventions. “By empowering people where they live and learn, we are creating lasting change.”
Counselors from participating schools, including Mr. Tagbor Wisdom of EPC Mawuko Girls’ and Mr. Kwame Redeemer Kekeli of Adaklu Senior High, pledged to integrate mental health education into school life and train peer supporters to help students cope with stress, anxiety, and social pressures. At the community level, leaders such as Rev. Fia Daniel of Adaklu Amuzudeve called on chiefs and elders to use traditional platforms like durbars and churches to challenge stigma and encourage open discussion.
The project also placed special emphasis on gender and mental health, highlighting how social pressures and gender-based violence often deepen women’s psychological distress. “When women’s mental health is neglected, their empowerment is undermined,” noted Mr. Ahiave Jacob, Executive Director of GYDF. “Promoting mental health is therefore a step toward gender equality.”
By the end of the day, participants had not only deepened their understanding of mental health but also pledged to become Mental Health Ambassadors for their area of responsibility, i.e., school or community. The training concluded with a renewed sense of purpose: that caring for mental well-being is not just a medical issue, but a shared community responsibility—essential to the health, dignity, and progress of all.
