Mental health issues among youths aged 15-to-19 account for almost half of the global disease burden. However, in Kenya, many young people grappling with these issues cannot access the necessary help. The gravity of the situation is evident when considering the lifetime implications of poor mental health, such as medical, educational, economic, legal, and interpersonal challenges, including school drop-out, incarceration, and even suicide.
In Kenya, the statistics are startling, with one in two school-going adolescents suffering from depression and anxiety. This is reflective of similar prevalence rates across Sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, these youths face numerous obstacles in seeking help:
- Traditional treatments are lengthy, expensive, and dependent on a limited number of trained expert providers.
- The prevalent societal stigma surrounding mental health issues often discourages Kenyan youths from seeking help.
- Limited government investment in mental healthcare further restricts the expansion of treatment options.
Despite these hurdles, the Shamiri Institute has been tirelessly working for the past four years to address this problem. We've developed, tested, and refined an effective, evidence-based innovation called Anansi.
Anansi is unique in that it combines two crucial aspects:
- A rigorously tested intervention known as Shamiri (which means “thrive” in Swahili). Shamiri incorporates simple, empirically supported elements and uses stigma-free content. It is delivered in communal settings by lay-providers aged between 18-24.
- A three-tier delivery model that connects lay-providers, trained clinical supervisors, and clinical psychologists and psychiatrists.
In 2022 alone, more than 4,000 youths received Anansi in five Kenyan schools. Over the last three years, we've reached over 11,000 youths with Anansi.
However, we're not stopping there. Our goal is to expand Anansi's implementation to rural and peri-urban regions across Kenya. To this end, we're adopting a decentralized scale-up model, also known as a “train-the-trainers” model.
In 2023, we're planning to collaborate with community-based partners who will implement Anansi in other counties outside of Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, and Makueni, where we currently operate. We're eager to connect with an implementing partner who will be trained on the Anansi model and will deliver it to at least 750 high school students in any of the following seven counties: Siaya, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Busia, Nakuru, Migori, and Trans-Nzoia.
The implementing partner will work with minimal supervision and will be responsible for implementing the Anansi model within their counties. This project is slated for a duration of 10 months, from September 2022 to June 2023, encompassing activities such as training, data collection, project execution, and project performance monitoring and evaluation. To support the implementation, we are offering grants ranging between $10,000 and $25,000.
We invite you to join us in this critical initiative to address the mental health crisis among Kenyan youths.
