My story begins with my own lived experience. There was a time when I did not know what was wrong or where to find support. And even when I eventually accessed help, I struggled to connect with the methods being offered. Something felt misaligned, but I did not yet have the language to explain why. That dissonance sent me on a personal quest to understand mental health in ways that felt contextual, embodied, and culturally relevant.

My journey into mental health advocacy began with profound loss at 19, I lost my closest friend to suicide. She was brilliant and kind, yet beneath the surface, she was drowning. There were no school counselors, no crisis support systems, no one trained to see the signs I now recognize everywhere. Her death was not inevitable; it was the predictable outcome of systematic failure.

My journey into global mental health advocacy did not begin in a hospital or policy space. It began in rooms filled with women who came for fitness but stayed to talk about stress, exhaustion, anxiety, and the emotional weight they were carrying. Through movement-based sessions, guided reflection, and mental health education, I saw how safe spaces and practical tools could help women reconnect with themselves.

My journey into mental health advocacy began not in a classroom or conference hall, but on the streets, sitting with young women injecting heroin behind a market. Over weeks, they began to speak—not about addiction, but about childhood violence, lost children, police brutality… I learned that their mental distress was not pathology. It was a legitimate response to an illegitimate system.

I began my mental health advocacy journey with Tanzania Community Health Information and Support (TaCHIS), working with higher learning institutions through arts and sports to promote awareness and early support among youth in Tanzania Mainland.  I have learned that real change begins when we listen deeply to lived experiences and center community voices in our work.

After an international career focused on improving sexual and reproductive health access in sub-Saharan Africa, my personal experiences - both as a caregiver for relatives with psychiatric disorders and as a survivor of perinatal depression - reshaped my mission. Determined to dismantle the taboos surrounding women's mental health, I founded the Hakili Nafaya Institute.

I've always wanted to be a better person — not just for myself, but also for everyone around me. By becoming a better person, I believe I can help to co-create a world where people support each other. This simple wish has guided my work in the development sector, even as I grappled with personal challenges that I couldn't understand for years.

From Shadows to Light: A Journey of Healing

This isn't just my story of survival; it's a promise that hope persists, that healing is possible, and that our darkest chapters can lead to our most meaningful purpose. For every youth in Kenya, in Africa, and across the world grappling with mental health challenges: you are not alone. Your life has value, your story matters, and your future is worth fighting for.

Our Step Association, based in Jordan, is dedicated to challenging and transforming the societal stereotypes surrounding mental health disorders. It aims to increase awareness and understanding of the issues and rights faced by people living with these disorders.

Area of work: Empowerment and inclusion of people with lived experiences

My passion for mental health and supporting adolescents began in my mid-teens, a time when young people experience complex physical, emotional, and social changes. As I worked closely with adolescents, I developed essential skills like active listening, which helped create a non-judgmental space for them to share their thoughts and feelings.