Mental health and wellbeing are important; they are associated with important life outcomes such as future employment, civic engagement, quality of life, and overall functioning. But young people around the world, and particularly those living in Sub Saharan African countries suffer from the burden of mental health and wellbeing problems. In Kenya, for example, 1 in 2 youths report mental health and wellbeing challenges, but many of them cannot find the right support and tools to deal with these problems. Since the median age in Kenya, and other Sub-Saharan African countries, is less than 19, there is an important need to solve this important problem.  

At Shamiri, we use social science research to develop simple, scalable, and practical tools to help young people improve their mental health and wellbeing, and lead fulfilled lives. With our tools, we provided young people with a platform to succeed and thrive. Our tools help young people improve their mental health and wellbeing, their relationships with friends, families, and peers, and improve their academic outcomes.
Since 2018, We have conducted gold-standard scientific studies that show that our tools work. Now, our focus is on disseminating a scalable and sustainable model to reach as many youths as possible.

Our approach lowers the cultural and systemic barriers that make it difficult for young people to get the support that they need to succeed. Because we believe that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution, we work with young people and local systems to develop and disseminate our interventions. Our delivery model is accessible and cost-effective, allowing us to deliver much-needed help to large numbers of youths at fraction of the cost.

Our partnerships with schools, community-based organizations, and research organizations in Kenya and the U.S allow us a platform to succeed. Here are some of our partners.