According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), mental disorders affect more than 450 million people worldwide, and 20% of the population is made to suffer one day. However, WHO estimates that only 50% of countries in the world have a national mental health policy. Mental illnesses affect not only developed countries but also developing countries, particularly in Africa. Nevertheless, faced with this problem the response by African countries is almost nonexistent due mainly to the concentration of the means and resources to other diseases such as malaria and AIDS.
In Togo, there is a real commitment, both at government level and at the level of the medical world and civil society to support people affected by mental illness. But there is still no real national strategy to include even mental illness among the public health problems.
With headquarters in Lomé, Togo, the purpose of NASM is to provoke awareness of the problem of mental illness in general, nationally and internationally. Through education, innovation and continuous research, NASM want to attract the attention of different sectors of society on the need to create a chain of solidarity around the world around the issue of mental health.