Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya

Have you ever thought about how people living in informal settlements respond to climate stressors?

Climate change is not just damaging our planet, it is taking a heavy toll on our mental health. From eco-anxiety to the trauma of extreme weather, young people are bearing the brunt of this planetary crisis.

Our team at Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya in collaboration with Muungano wa Wanavijiji and Tabasamu Cafe, are working towards transforming youth in informal settlements from victims to solution providers. We are investing in building their capacity to raise mental health awareness, provide psychosocial first aid and strengthen referral pathways. This is through a cascade training model where we train TOTs from the community who in turn pass on this knowledge to other community members. These TOTs are composed on Community Health Promoters and youth leaders from these communities.

When we train these young leaders, they pass that knowledge down, sparking a chain reaction of awareness, resilience, and psychosocial support across their entire community.

This initiative is part of the Race to Resilience Project funded by the L’Oréal Climate Emergency Fund.

Nothing changes the conversation about mental health quite like the voices of those who have actually walked the path.

This is why as a standard practice, our teams at Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya and CBM Kenya put persons with lived experience at the fore front of mental health advocacy. To us, incorporating them is not just a nice addition, it is the foundation of meaningful change at both community and systems level.

We accomplish this through strengthening their capacity and confidence to use their voices and lived experience to turn abstract statistics into relatable real life stories that deeply connect with the public. This helps to dismantle stigma as when individuals speak openly about their personal journeys, they break down walls and prove that mental health conditions do not define a person’s worth or capability, and with the right care and support, people with mental health conditions can not only live very productive lives but also use their experiences to positively impact their communities.

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One of the biggest barriers affecting treatment seeking behaviour when it comes to mental health in most Kenyan communities, is stigma resulting from cultural misconceptions and stereotypes.

Our team at Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya therefore prioritises addressing these cultural barriers by simplifying our training sessions with Community Health Promoters (CHPs). By equipping CHPs with clear, relatable language, we transform them into trusted community allies who can debunk myths and bridge the gap to improve access to mental health services.

Here is a glimpse to a training session that our team in Kilifi County in collaboration with CBM Kenya and the County Government of Kilifi - Department of Health, with funding from Irish Aid and Fondation d'Harcourt, recently conducted for Community Health Promoters from Kaloleni, Ganze, Magarini and Malindi Sub Counties. This was our very first session with these CHPs who gave us a picture of community perceptions around mental health conditions.

Our goal is to work with these CHPs, gradually addressing these misconceptions and stereotypes, challenging stigma, with the ultimate goal of positively improving treatment seeking behaviour and increasing access to mental health services in their communities.

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"Growing up in a cultural context where there are expectations of a young man, if this conversation would have been made easier, then probably I wouldn't have taken 17 and half years to come out and say hey! I need help." - Guyana OJ

As we move closer to commemorating World Su***de Prevention and Awareness Day 2026, we invite you to check out this very thoughtful and deeply human conversation on Mind the Gap Podcast where Chris Underhill and Christie Civetta host Gem Barrett, Rosemary Gathara, Erla Magnusdottir and Guyana OJ as they have an open and candid conversation on Youth Su***de, the Gap Between Distress and Support.

The team explores youth su***de as one of the most urgent and difficult gaps in mental health: the gap between distress and help, between warning signs and response, and between the conversations we need to have and the silence that too often surrounds them, bringing perspectives from Kenya, Iceland, and the UK.

Watch the full episode on Mind the Gap Podcast on YouTube or Spotify through the links below:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4NCvF_zAUg

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7fbVCSQGVqMFEiwCO6IsG3?si=dQ0FdSGhQbKuUmCS1AHctgn&nd=1&dlsi=a493b2dbffe644

In many Kenyan communities, mental health conditions are often misunderstood as spiritual attacks, a lack of willpower, or character flaws, among others. These deeply rooted cultural beliefs create silence, shame, and isolation for those who are experiencing mental ill health or mental illness.

This is why our team at Basic Needs Basic Rights Kenya prioritizes addressing these myths and misconceptions held in the communities where we work. This is part of our efforts to ends stigma which is one of the biggest barriers to positive treatment seeking behavior.

Our team in Kilifi County in collaboration with CBM Kenya and the Kilifi County Government - Department of Health with funding from Irish Aid and Fondation d'Harcourt recently conducted mental health training for Community Health Promoters from Kaloleni, Ganze, Magarini and Malindi Sub Counties. Based on post-training sentiments, we are confident that the message got home, and this marks the beginning of the journey to shift mindsets in their respective community health units.

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