About Us
BasicNeeds US, a 501(c)(3) corporation, has more than 13 years of experience in supporting mental health and development in Africa and South Asia. We provide US support for the advancement of the mental health and development model developed by BasicNeeds UK and now supported by CBM UK.
The seed for our partnership with BasicNeeds was planted when founders, Charlotte and Richard Dougherty, visited the Kamwokya slum in Kampala, Uganda in December 2007. While there, they met Consulata. She had bipolar disorder and suffered from domestic violence, and HIV/AIDS. BasicNeeds helped her access medications, provided psychosocial support, micro credit, and regular visits from a community health worker. With visible pride, she welcomed us to her tiny home off a narrow street in the slum. Chickens were in the small yard and millet was brewing. She had income, was leading a local self-help group, and volunteered at the Kamwocya credit union. She had found purpose and hope working with her peers.
Since that visit, BasicNeeds US was formed and we have raised funds, provided technical assistance and small grants to support resident-led community mental health and self-help projects in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Our partners have done this with clinics, local NGOs, coffee societies, and local governments. Over the last five years, we have focused on adapting the model and related community development practice to the US and more developed markets. Our current focus includes scaling up School Mental Health Clubs, entrepreneurship for women and youth in agricultural cooperatives and promoting Village Savings and Loan Associations for families of people with mental disabilities. We are excited about our work in the coming decade.
Board of Directors
Dick and Charlotte Dougherty founded BasicNeeds US in 2009. Both are volunteers.
Richard Dougherty: From 1987 to 2021, Dick was CEO of DMA Health Strategies leading numerous policy research, strategic planning and evaluation projects for federal, state and local, public and private organizations in the US. Dick has published extensively and currently serves on several non-profit boards. He received his Masters in Social Work from the University of Chicago and Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from Boston University. He is the Treasurer of the College for Behavioral Health Leadership and a member of the Global Leadership Exchange.
Charlotte Dougherty: Charlotte retired in 2012 after 25 years as a Principal at Industrial Economics having led national and international environmental and public health policy studies for the US EPA, US AID, state and federal agencies. Charlotte currently serves on several non-profit, global health and environment boards. She holds a Masters Degree in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University School of Public Health.
Chris Underhill: Chris is currently co-founding the Elders Council for Social Entrepreneurs and is cofounder of citiesRISE and founder of BasicNeeds. He is a Senior Fellow with the Ashoka Fellowship, a recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, a Salzburg Global Fellow, and was selected as a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur. In 2000 Chris received an MBE from the Queen of England for his services to disability and development.
Lauren Taylor: Lauren A. Taylor, MDiv, MPH, PhD has consulted with the Global Fund and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and in 2013, she co-authored The American Health Care Paradox with Elizabeth Bradley. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Health from Yale, a Masters in Divinity from Harvard and a PhD from Harvard Business School. Lauren is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.