Research is at the centre of everything we do at BasicNeeds. We are a pioneering organisation in the field of mental health in developing countries so all of our ground-breaking work is research in itself. The documentation and dissemination of all our experiences, successes and failures is vital to what we do.

Because mentally ill people have been invisible in the minds of people and in policy and legislation for so long, research is vital to show that there is a problem with mental illness and that there is a viable solution to the suffering that mentally ill people face. To combat this we place mentally ill people and their voices at the centre of all our research.

Research is the crucial link between field operations, or practice, and the rest of BasicNeeds' work of Policy, Communication, and Fundraising. The overall aim of research at BasicNeeds is to understand the situation of mentally ill people, understand the change in their lives as a result of the programmes, and to use this information to capacitate them, through partnerships, to advocate for their rights and needs.

Our Research and Policy Directorate is based in Bangalore and has a world-wide responsibility for up-to-date research within all of our country programmes. We are able to draw on information from many different countries, giving us knowledge and experience of mental health that is unavailable from other sources. The ultimate aim is to draw-up a mental health policy framework that is suitable for low-income countries.

The Research and Policy Programme initiate regular research training programmes at the various country programmes. The training acquaints country programme staff with the research framework, and facilitates better execution of it, leading to credible verifiable evidence.

Once the data has left the local level, it travels up to the Research and Policy office where it is consolidated and analysed. This process allows analysis of the global situation of mental health.

As well as producing regular reports updating the progress and situation of the BasicNeeds programme, the Research and Policy directorate also work on specific projects. For example, they are currently engaged in two research projects backed by the International Development Research Centre and the Christoffel Blinden Mission.

Shoba Raja Director for Policy and Practice
114 4th Cross, OMBR Layout, Banasawadi, Bangalore, 560 043
Tel: +91 80 25428235