No impact without mental health

Capacity Building for Mental Health and Wellbeing among sahee Partner Organizations

Eswatini faces a severe mental health crisis, with high poverty, unemployment, and suicide rates compounded by limited services and stigma. Civil society organizations are critical frontline actors, yet their effectiveness is undermined by staff burnout, stress, and the absence of wellbeing systems. This project is relevant because it strengthens the resilience of SAHEE’s partner organizations by promoting staff wellbeing, embedding mental health policies, and expanding literacy. Healthier, more resilient teams will deliver higher‑quality, more inclusive services, reaching underserved communities.
The goal of the project is to improve organizational capacity and staff wellbeing among SAHEE partner organizations, contributing to stronger, more resilient service delivery in Eswatini. This will be achieved through the following objectives:

1. Promote staff wellbeing and resilience
This objective focuses on ensuring that staff and volunteers within SAHEE’s partner organizations are supported to maintain their own mental health. By providing access to debrief sessions, and/or individual counselling (virtual and in‑person), the project will create safe spaces for staff to process stress, share experiences, and strengthen coping strategies. Staff will also be equipped with practical self‑care tools and stress‑management techniques to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue. In turn, healthier, more resilient staff will be better able to sustain their work, remain motivated, and deliver high‑quality services to the communities they serve.

2. Strengthen organisational capacity and expand mental health literacy
Through tailor‑made trainings on counselling skills, Psychological First Aid, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and stigma reduction, organizations will build the internal expertise needed to respond effectively to mental health challenges. By expanding mental health literacy among staff and volunteers, organizations will not only reduce stigma internally but also model positive attitudes and behaviours that ripple outward into the communities they serve.

3. Improve service delivery and reach
This objective ensures that strengthened staff wellbeing and organizational capacity translate into improved program delivery. By integrating psychosocial support and mental health awareness into their community outreach, education, and advocacy activities, partner organizations will be able to reach more beneficiaries with higher‑quality and more inclusive services. Improved staff resilience and literacy will enable organizations to identify mental health needs earlier, provide appropriate referrals, and engage communities in stigma‑free dialogue. Over time, this will expand the reach of mental health information and services, reduce treatment gaps, and contribute to healthier, more resilient communities across Eswatini.

Project site

Nation wide (locations of partner organizations) (Map)

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries are all staff members of sahee partner organizations.
Women: 86
Men: 38

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 12’050.–. The project is fully financed by sahee.

sahee stays in regular contact with the project leaders, monitors the activities and visits the project on site once a year.

Duration of assistance

1st of January 2026 to 31st of December 2026

Local counterpart

Phumelela

Project site

www.phumelela.org/