Editor of mid-length documentary film UNDER THE MANGO TREE, directed by Katrina Moore.
In spiritual healing centers called "prayer camps," people with mental disabilities are chained to trees and denied food and water for days at a time, stemming from a widespread belief that mental illness is caused by evil spirits, demons, or witchcraft. An estimated 650,000 people in Ghana suffer from severe mental disorders, but the three psychiatric hospitals in the country lack the resources to provide adequate food and medicine and face challenges with overcrowding. Shekhinah Clinic is one of the few healthcare facilities that welcomes those suffering from mental illness without judgment, mistreatment, or force. The clinic also operates what may be the only meals-on-wheels-style program in the northern city of Tamale, making it a vital source of emergency food. The program feeds over 150 of Tamale's destitute each day, most of whom suffer from mental illness. Shekhinah also provides unconditionally free medical care to anyone who needs it, no questions asked.