Expand Mental Health Support to Neema's guardians

On June 7th, over 300 children and teens from the local school ran for mental health!

The Pamoja Run was organized by Neema, and the participants ran from our campus to the local primary school. We hosted this event to raise funds that would empower the community through counseling and conducting outreaches in the local schools. 

In rural Kenya, mental health is a serious concern among school aged children. Many children grow up facing trauma—abandonment, violence, and the harsh realities of extreme poverty. Some go to school hungry, unsure of where their next meal will come from. Like Neema students, many are forced to drop out of school due to a lack of school fees, leaving them vulnerable to substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, child labor, and a cycle of hopelessness.

Neema’s counselors recently started visiting local schools to support children and teens, as well as their teachers. Teachers are often overwhelmed by the dual responsibility of addressing students' psychological and emotional well-being while also managing learning in an overcrowded classroom that routinely welcomes more than 50 students. But the need for mental health support is far greater than what we could offer.

We are grateful that we were able to raise over a hundred thousand Kenyan shillings in Kenya and over $14,000 from our global supporters through our Pamoja Run! These funds will help Neema to achieve one of its goals of empowering the local community through providing counseling to members of the community and contributing to their emotional and psychological wellbeing. 

The highlights of the day included joining with primary school students, guardians of the students, and members of the community. They made the run more lively and enjoyable, and demonstrated the impact of Neema in the community. Another highlight of the day was participants receiving gifts after the race. All who participated were given a backpack made at Neema with water and a banana inside as a token of appreciation. It was wonderful to see the young students get a chance to relax from class and other daily duties through the day’s entertainment. 

Those who participated in the race were mostly teenagers who need counseling to improve their mental health. Counseling is also critical to their growth and can empower them to make informed life decisions so that they do not end up making detrimental decisions such as engaging in unhealthy relationships. This could lead to teenage pregnancy, school dropout, drug addiction, and many other issues which all compromise a child’s dreams in life.

Thanks to people like you, we’re able to provide trauma-informed counseling to those who need it most. More than 1,500 school children in rural Kenya will be provided with free, ongoing counseling!

Links:

• Video of Pamoja Run