This Christmas two dedicated and passionate mental health workers in Ghana – Fauzia Ibrahim and Ithiel Korkor – are throwing a party on 22nd December for their patients and the families who support them.

Ithiel and Fauzia work in Kintampo, a town in the centre of Ghana where I have been conducting research with people with serious mental health problems and their families since 2006. When I started the research there were no mental health services in the town and many families were struggling alone to provide care. Since then Ghana has been expanding the number of community mental health workers and now Fauzia and Ithiel are part of service providing mental health care and training new mental health workers to work in towns and villages across the country.

In 2015 Ithiel and Fauzia set up a support group to bring together people receiving treatment for mental illness and epilepsy and their family members. Each fortnight about 80 people attend. Most come from very poor families. Many of those affected by serious mental illness are not working and reliant on family support. The group gives them a space to ask questions, learn about mental health and services available, share experiences and learn from and support each other.

For £10 we can provide a Christmas gift of a large bag of rice and a bottle of cooking oil for families to cook a Christmas dinner and a drink and snack at the party. There will be music and dancing and we will hire seating so people can take a breather! The cost per person will be around the equivalent of £10.

We have started off funding for 30 people but we would like to be able to invite 150 or more. This means we need a total of £1,500.

Please give generously and help us give families affected by mental illness in Kintampo a Christmas to remember.