Aga Khan University's Brain and Mind Institute, BMI, have formed a unique partnership with Health[e]Foundation to strengthen digital knowledge and education for increased awareness through integrating mental and neuroscience focus.
Health[e]Foundation is a global health foundation that supports education in Africa and other parts of the world. As a foundation, the organization is committed to supporting healthcare professionals and community workers in the world's most vulnerable societies with digital global health learning platforms and information through e-Health and m-Health solutions.
"We greatly value this new partnership. Challenging mental health conditions are universal; initially, we shall focus on specific groups such as marginalized communities, migrants and pregnant women. By combining expertise and proficiency, we can make a jumpstart to contribute to better mental health," said Dr Nadine Pakker, Executive Director, Health[e]Foundation.
An estimated one in four people globally will experience a mental illness. The economic cost of mental health problems is significant, while investment in and acknowledging the importance of better mental health is lagging in many parts of the world. Poor mental health is both a cause and a consequence of poverty, compromised education, gender inequality, ill-health, violence and other global challenges.
Therefore, as an expert provider of digital health solutions, Health [e]Foundation is looking forward to collaborating with AKU-BMI to jointly offer mental health programs.
This partnership, consequently, is an opportunity to provide depth to existing programs, pilot innovative approaches at the community level, and identify new opportunities to expand programmatic reach and impact.
"Through this collaboration, we hope to leverage innovative approaches to upskill and transform communities in the regions we serve. In the process, we also hope to strengthen our educational programs through the digital expertise that Health[e]Foundation brings," said Professor Zul Merali, Founding Director of BMI.
Fundamentally, we expect to share best practices and lessons learned in the implementation of community programmes, both from Health [e] Foundation's experiences in 34 countries and the track record afforded by its reach of about 20,000 healthcare workers trained and Aga Khan University's experiences across all its locations, as well as through the Brain and Mind Institute's implementation science team.
