A baseline study is a review of the situation of the programme area specifically looking at the lives of people with mental disorders and all of those factors in the external environment that affect them. Normally undertaken at the start of a programme in a specified geographic area, the baseline study helps to shape subsequent development on the ground. Furthermore, the study provides benchmarks for future programme evaluations.  Baseline studies are often a mandatory requirement of donors such as DFID and are conducted by BasicNeeds with their partners.