Ghanaian Children Spend Years in Prayer Camps Amid Mental Health Gaps
Hafiz Abdallah, now 16, has lived eight years at Nyinbonya prayer camp in Paga without a clinical diagnosis
In Brief
- •Hafiz Abdallah, now 16, has lived eight years at Nyinbonya prayer camp in Paga without a clinical diagnosis
- •Families often turn to prayer camps for unexplained behavior, leading to chaining, forced fasting and lack of professional care
- •Staff observed barefoot walking, malnutrition, and physical discipline; the facility can accommodate about 200 patients
- •Sarah Adjei, 21, spent years in a church after sexual assault, delaying professional mental‑health support
- •Experts warn that such practices can traumatize patients and violate human rights
Why It Matters
The story highlights a critical gap in Ghana’s mental‑health infrastructure, where cultural beliefs drive families to faith‑based facilities that lack trained professionals. Practices such as chaining and forced fasting not only risk physical harm but also impede timely, evidence‑based treatment, raising serious human‑rights concerns for vulnerable children.
Key Details
- Child in camp
- Hafiz Abdallah, 16, 8 years at Nyinbonya
- Facility capacity
- ≈200 patients
- Location
- Nyinbonya, Paga, Ghana
- Practices observed
- Chaining, forced fasting, physical discipline
- Expert
- Dr Abigail Harding, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
Context & Background
Ghana’s mental‑health services are limited, and cultural interpretations of mental illness as spiritual or supernatural often lead families to seek help in prayer camps or traditional healers instead of clinical settings.
Original Reporting & Sources
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