TEAP — The Eco-Anxiety Africa Project

Beyond infrastructures, beyond tools and technologies - people also need to be resilient and psychologically adaptive to the climate crisis

— Jennifer Uchendu (Founder, SustyVibes)

— about

Anchor is a collaboration between SustyVibes, Tele-education for Clinicians and Leaders in Africa (TeCLA), an initiative of Making More Health (social entrepreneurship for innovation), Project Echo (a virtual network of medical professionals exchanging expertise, guidance and feedback), and mDoc (evidence-based person-centred approaches for medical interventions in Africa).

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— impact in numbers

Impact in numbers.

Overall Participants

Indirect Beneficiaries

Sessions

Speakers

Case Studies

Countries Represented

Spoke Sites

Hours of Training

Knowledge Gained Per Session

Why did we do this?

Anchor was established to address a critical gap: while environmental realities across Africa are rapidly shifting, many mental health professionals have had limited opportunities to understand the psychological dimensions of climate change and environmental issues. In response, Anchor convened practitioners virtually to learn from leading experts on the relationship between environmental change and well-being.

This initiative strengthens professional capacity across the continent and affirms our belief that resilience is built collectively, across disciplines and communities.

How did we do it?

Anchor’s methodology sought to balance global expertise with grassroots insight. Anchor leveraged the ECHO® model, a tele-mentoring framework that transformed Zoom sessions into hubs for knowledge exchange. Unlike conventional webinars, the ECHO® approach fostered an “All Teach, All Learn” ethos, where experts co-created solutions through shared case studies and real-time dialogue.

Our learning framework

Participant-Focused

We prioritised participants’ needs, tailoring our curriculum to topics deemed crucial by our participants. We understand that interaction and connection are key to a transformative learning experience, and foster an environment that encourages participants to analyse, discuss, and engage collaboratively.

Case-Based Learning

To promote interactive learning, our curriculum emphasised the use of case studies, recognising their significant impact on learning outcomes.

Led by Subject Matter Experts

Training was co-created with African experts specialised in environmental health, climate change, public health, mental health, climate psychotherapy, and psychology.

One Year Report

Over six months, Anchor fostered knowledge exchange, resulting in a 24% increase in participants’ understanding of the climate-mental health nexus. Participants reported increased knowledge of climate-aware mental healthcare, with 87% finding the training directly applicable to their work.

Anchor serves as a blueprint for scaling similar interventions, utilising elements such as virtual platforms and prioritising indigenous knowledge. The report emphasises the urgent need for investment in tele-education, integration of mental health into climate policy, and cross-sector partnerships to safeguard vulnerable communities in the face of climate change.

Building Climate-Resilient Mental Healthcare in Nigeria via Tele-Education Networks

— a deeper thread