Ember Mental Health
Supporting grassroots mental health innovation in the Global South
Ember Mental Health
Supporting grassroots mental health innovation in the Global South
The Issue
Mental health is a pressing global challenge. By 2030, mental health conditions will be the leading cause of disability worldwide.
The current consensus is that more innovation and fresh ideas are needed to fix this problem. We disagree.
We believe many of the solutions are already out there. There are excellent initiatives working to improve mental health in communities around the world.
The problem is, they don’t get the visibility and resources they need to sustain and grow. The expertise and insight of local initiatives too often goes unrecognised and unsupported.
The current funding system works for some kinds of organisation – those that are large, professionalised and research-based – but it doesn’t work for others – those that are small, localised, user-led or volunteer-driven. This has created a gap in the funding landscape of global mental health.
We created Ember to fill this gap.
The Approach
We believe mental health interventions that grow out of communities - that take a grassroots approach - are uniquely equipped to overcome issues of stigma and meet people's needs in meaningful, culturally-sensitive ways. However, community-based initiatives face serious barriers to sustaining and scaling their work, often lacking critical resources, networks and visibility.
Ember is a collaboration between the SHM Foundation and the Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN) that mentors and funds excellent, locally-led mental health initiatives in low-resource settings so they can grow and thrive.
Our approach combines the best of business consultancy, participatory design, creative learning and philanthropy to create a radically different approach to funding mental health.
More About this Project
World Mental Health Day: Championing community-based organisations
Mental health is a universal human right, but access to mental health care is far from universal. We invite you to join us on a journey across the world as we investigate how community-based mental health initiatives are uniquely equipped to deal with this global challenge.
The Caravan of Joy and Tears: PHOLA documentary showcases the power of art and community in healing from trauma
Our partner, PHOLA, is the subject of a new documentary film showcasing the impact of their work in supporting survivors of gender-based violence in South Africa
Ember impact evaluation paper published in BMJ Global Health
Ember is an SHM Foundation initiative to support grassroots innovation in mental health in low and middle income countries. Ember's first published evaluation shares insights about the initiative's impact and makes recommendations for other stakeholders looking to support community-based mental health organisations
Ember Impact Evaluation Paper published in BMJ
Supporting community-based mental health intiatives: insights from a multi-country programme and recommendations for funders
The COURRAGE to change: Tackling Women’s Depression & Poverty Through Storytelling
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Ember: 5 insights into community-based mental health
At the end of 2019, the SHM Foundation's collaborative Ember project spoke with 130+ mental health initiatives in low-resource contexts to select the 12 partners we would work with in 2020. This is a snapshot of what we learned from those conversations.
Ember Launches Wellbeing & Transformation Funds
We're launching two funds to provide support to the mental health initiatives we work with as they face the pandemic and look to the future.
From Ecuador to Ethiopia: Introducing Ember's 2020 partners.
Featuring grassroots innovators from Ecuador to Ethiopia, we're excited to introduce the twelve projects partnering with Ember in 2020.
Innovators, we want you!
Let's work together to ensure that these past 25 years of innovation in global mental health lead to long-term, real-world change that transforms our communities for the better.
Ember Stories Volume 2
Ember believes mental health interventions that grow out of communities are uniquely equipped to overcome issues of stigma and engage people in meaningful, culturally- sensitive ways. That’s why Ember’s focus is on supporting and strengthening grassroots innovation in global mental health.
Ember Call Out: Applications now open!
Ember is calling for applications from community-based mental health projects and organisations working in low- and middle- income countries. Successful applicants will take part in a 12-month process designed to strengthen and grow their work.
Stories of Grassroots Mental Health Care
We believe that some of the most effective and powerful mental health care grows from within communities, from the grassroots up. Across the world there are organisations responding to the needs of their community by developing innovative, creative models of care, drawing on local expertise and often reaching populations with little access to services. That's why Ember's focus is on supporting and strengthening grassroots innovation in global mental health.
Introducing Ember
Project Ember is a collaboration between The SHM Foundation and the Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN) created to help mental health innovation grow and thrive in low- and middle-income countries.Contact Us
Have a challenge you think we could help with? A project you'd like us to collaborate on?
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