Accra, Ghana, I mara Leadership Initiative Ghana office works to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings, particularly for vulnerable and displaced communities. Through community-based interventions, capacity building, referral systems and youth-led approaches, promoting psychological wellbeing, resilience and protection, while supporting frontline actors to respond effectively to mental health needs during crises.
Emergencies do not only destroy homes, livelihoods and physical infrastructure. They also disrupt the emotional and social foundations that allow people to live with dignity and hope.
In border communities, the consequences can be even more complex. Displacement, conflict, migration, poverty, family separation, gender-based violence, uncertainty and limited access to essential services can expose young people and women to prolonged psychological distress. Yet mental health is often treated as an afterthought when humanitarian attention is focused on food, shelter, security and medical care.
Mental health is not a luxury in an emergency. It is an essential component of protection, recovery and resilience and for young people and women living in border communities, the need is particularly urgent. Young people may experience disrupted education, unemployment, violence, exploitation and uncertainty about their future. Women may carry the additional burden of caring for children and families while facing heightened risks of violence, exploitation and economic insecurity. When these experiences accumulate without safe spaces to process them, the consequences can extend far beyond the immediate emergency.
“In an emergency, safety is more than shelter from physical harm. It is also having a place where young people and women can feel heard, supported and hopeful. By creating safe hubs in border communities, we are not only protecting mental health we are strengthening resilience, dignity and the foundations for peace.” – Mr.Nicholas Adzaho, Managing Director, ILI Ghana Office.
It is against this backdrop that the Imara Leadership Initiative Ghana Office is advancing an approach centred on establishing safe hubs for youth and women in border communities named ‘Salama Hubs’, these hubs are designed not simply as physical spaces, but as community platforms where people can find safety, connection, information, psychosocial support and opportunities to rebuild their confidence. Salama Hubs can become a place where a young person can talk without fear of judgement; where a woman experiencing displacement can connect with others; where community members can access information about available services; and where young people can participate in constructive activities that restore a sense of purpose and belonging.
The work of Imara Leadership Initiative is grounded in the belief that communities affected by emergencies should not be viewed only through the lens of vulnerability. Young people are not merely beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance, they are part of being the problem solvers, peacebuilders, communicators and community leaders and Women are not simply recipients of protection services, they are caregivers, entrepreneurs, mediators, organisers and critical actors in community resilience.
Mental health interventions must therefore be connected to social cohesion and peacebuilding.
About Imara Leadership Initiative (ILI) Ghana office:
Imara Leadership Initiative is a youth led NGO operating in the Republic of Ghana and The United Republic of Tanzanua to empower communities through ethical leadership that advances good governance, gender equality, health, economic empowerment, peacebuilding and climate action.
For partnerships and inquiries information please contact us via
Ms. Daisy Alabi | Programmes Lead | E-mail: ghana@imaraleadership.org
