This Madaraka Day, 🇰🇪 we honor our collective journey. Music and unity became our ray of hope a year ago in the midst of great pain, allowing a nation to find its voice again. #MadarakaDay #UnityInDiversity #KenyanPride #ReclaimingJoy #WeThePeople #GenZProtests2024

So excited to be listening to Juan Carlos from @withoutviolence.bsky.social today at Florida State University’s Florida Institute for Child Welfare conference talk about breaking cycles of violence. He has been instrumental in the development of our work at @gsnafrica.bsky.social 💚💚💚

In our hyper-consumerist society, we vastly underestimate the allure of "freeze" as a survival response.

Thought for the day

Tech bros know what every parent wants: children who sleep less

Sierra Leonean girl, 11, rescued in the Mediterranean after three days clinging to tyre tubes. She said all the other 44 migrants on board had died in the storms and high waves

This forensic review of R. Chapman's new book, exposes Chapman's multiple hostile misrepresentations of critical psychiatry, and how Chapman's obsession with mis-labelling all critics as 'Szaszians' has blinded them to the reality of the modern movement. www.madintheuk.com/2024/04/empi...

📣 New publication: Christina Pauls on "Struggles over memory?" | The first paper of our forthcoming ZeFKo-Forum "Contested transitions and perspectives on peace – Deutungskämpfe im Übergang"

*Expanded addiction support Don't wait until it's your child's savings disappearing in a single night. #ProtectOurYouth #GamblingHarm #AddictionCrisisKenya

Our kids are not safe. The house always wins. And the house is coming for our children's future, with their M-PESA as the gateway. We need urgent action: *Separate gambling from everyday banking apps *Mandatory waiting periods for deposits *Real age verification *Ban on youth-targeted marketing

*The barrier between banking and betting has vanished What's happening in #Kenya is a tragic warning: When you merge frictionless mobile banking with predatory gambling, you create an addiction accelerant. Betting companies deliberately exploit these payment systems to maximize losses.

As a #Kenyan this isn't something to celebrate - it's a predatory crisis targeting our youth. The combination of M-PESA & betting apps has created a perfect storm: *Instant deposits mean instant losses *No cooling-off period between urge and action *Family savings accounts drained with a few taps

Great starter pack for organizations working on global health issues!

One of the most challenging projects I've worked on since joining Reuters. Despite warnings from the world’s hunger watchdog of an impending catastrophe in Sudan, famine struck anyway. www.reuters.com/graphics/FAM...

Be YOU.

Culture is fundamental to mental health. While there are universal human experiences, how they manifest varies greatly across cultural contexts. This is why at @gsnafrica.bsky.social we prioritize cultural adaptation in our curriculum adaptation.

🧵 1/7 Get to know @gsnafrica.bsky.social! We're transforming #peacebuilding in Kenya 🇰🇪, Somalia 🇸🇴, South Sudan 🇸🇸, and Ethiopia 🇪🇹 through healing-centered approaches that go beyond traditional peacebuilding approaches. Here's our story... 🌍

Young people at our Circle Keeper training last week: "We need new paintings that show us thriving in our informal settlement - we want to see ourselves in our environment!" 🎨 Reminder: True co-design is an ongoing journey, not a destination. It never really ends - and that's the beauty of it. 🌱

It’s easy to be sceptical of pan-Africanism. The notion that Africa isn’t just a geographical space but a metaphysical entity whose population, though genetically the most diverse on earth, shares culture, heritage and a common fate, can seem dubious. But, the idea is bred of necessity not genetics.

Healing comes in many forms: our friends, communities, faith, and loved ones all play vital roles. While time itself can be healing, we need therapists trained to recognize when clinical treatment is truly needed - rather than viewing every life challenge through a clinical lens.

Severe #flooding in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday evening....🌊 Stay informed with @volcaholic1

🌱 The result? A sustainable, accessible path to genuine healing. Not just treating symptoms, but transforming lives. Because when we heal together, we heal better—moving from individual survival to collective revival and eventually collectively thriving.

🌱 Clinical care is mostly inaccessible for youth in Kenya 🇰🇪 plus it is generally not culturally adapted. We found young people (including young men) flock to approaches that: * Honor community wisdom * Build on existing cultural practices * Prevent issues before they need clinical intervention

🎨 KQ uses storytelling, play, local art, and cultural practices to facilitate healing. It's not about introducing foreign concepts - it's about returning to the wisdom our communities have always had.

📊 From research the numbers are stark: * 70% of surveyed youth experienced 1+ adverse childhood experiences * 88% experienced at least one traumatic event * Average of 4.3 traumatic experiences per young person * 1 in 3 show clinical signs of traumatic stress

This crisis isn't just statistics. Our youth are surviving, but surviving isn't living. They're struggling to find joy, rest, & meaning - the opposite of what being young should be. When we tell them to be 'resilient,' we're asking them to adapt to injustices that never should have existed.

📊 From our research we found that the mental health crisis among Kenyan youth looked like: * 26% score high risk for toxic stress physiology (ACE-Q) * 57% average wellbeing score (WHO-5), barely above poor wellbeing threshold * 30% meet clinical threshold for PTSD (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire)

⚠️ This came to a head in June 2024's protests. In just three weeks: * 61 young people murdered * 59 abducted * 413 injured * 682 arbitrarily arrested These aren't just statistics. Each # represents a young person whose trauma compounds the systemic issues they were protesting in the 1st place.

🧵 Let's talk about reimagining mental healthcare in Africa, and why we need to move beyond just clinical approaches. Some insights from the Green String Network's (@GSNAfrica.bsky.social) work in Kenya...

Still think AI is beniegn? “… data labellers and AI workers from Kenya who do work for companies like Facebook, Scale AI and OpenAI published an open letter to U.S. in which they said: Our working conditions amount to modern day slavery.” theconversation.com/ai-is-a-mult...

#ADHD #MedSky #HealthSky #MentalHealth #RFKJR #Neurodivergent #FDA #HHS

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 184 of The Continent Coup de latte: The trouble Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is brewing. Get your copy here: bit.ly/TheContinent...

Cities aren’t crowded. They’re just full of cars.

6/8 Here's what makes Ustawi unique: We're building a holistic ecosystem that meets Africa where it is - 77% young, digitally connected, and entrepreneurial.

5/8 This is why @ustawi.bsky.social's approach matters - we're turning these challenges into stepping stones for healing. 🌍 #MentalHealth #Africa #SocialImpact #CommunityHealing

3/8 The mental health challenge in Africa is complex and interconnected. From economic hardship to trauma, from conflict to inadequate support - it's a cycle that needs breaking. But within these challenges lie opportunities: rich cultural resources, youth empowerment, and community resilience.

2/8 Our approach at Ustawi? Virtual healing circles, traditional storytelling, and economic empowerment - because mental health isn't just about treatment, it's about community healing. 🌍✨ #MentalHealth #Africa #Innovation #CommunityHealing

END/8 Behind the scenes at Ustawi From MVP to launch, we're building thoughtfully! Key steps: develop core app, secure funding, build partnerships, create engaging animations, and train our Circle Keepers. Mental health innovation needs a strong foundation 🌱🚀 #MentalHealth #StartupLife #Africa

7/8 Our secret? Combining culturally-relevant mental health support with economic empowerment. Circle Keepers + Business Training + Financial Tools = Real Impact 🌱 Building resilience isn't just about healing - it's about thriving. #MentalHealth #Africa #YouthEmpowerment #SocialImpact

1/8 Shocking reality: Mental health conditions will cost Africa $59 billion by 2030, with 75% of those affected receiving no care. That's why Ustawi (@ustawi.bsky.social) matter. We're revolutionizing mental health care through culturally grounded, tech-enabled solutions. By Africans, for Africans.

Organizations serving those affected by trauma can become overwhelmed too. That's why building healing-centered, resilient cultures is crucial for both staff wellbeing & organizational effectiveness. Let's transform workplace cultures together. 🌱 #TraumaInformed #OrganizationalWellness #Resilience

Today, we’re excited to share our approach to community wellbeing! 💚⁣ ⁣ We believe in moving together with unity and joy. And when joy feels distant, we seek it out—together. That’s the essence of our journey. Let’s keep lifting each other up!⁣ ⁣ #CommunityConnection #WellnessTogether

🌿 Healing-Centered Peacebuilder Starter Pack: * Trauma isn't just personal, it's political * No Western mental health diagnostic manuals * "Collective healing" energy Side effects: radical hope, community transformation, & paradigm shift ✨ #CommunityFirst #DecolonizeHealing go.bsky.app/GJFd7mG

Excellent overview of a great research presentation by Wanjiku Waibochi ealier this month at the #AGMHI2024 conference in Nairobi, Kenya. #CommunityCare is foundational.

1/8 Powerful presentation by Wanjiku Waibochi at #AGMHI2024 last week, showing how @gsnafrica.bsky.social is revolutionizing mental health care in not only Kenya throughout East Africa. But our work is not through the typical clinical solutions, but through healing that emerges within communities.

Such a powerful story that breaks silence and talks honestly about self harm and healing - using creativity. Thank you @indigodaya.bsky.social for this...