Welcome to Project AKILI. We are a group of young people passionate about mental health, and eager to discuss about this crucial topic. Some of us have lived experiences with mental illness, have relatives/friends who have mental illnesses, or are curious about educating ourselves and others on mental health. Either way, we are a growing group of activists and advocates for mental health education; if you would like to join us, please send us a message and we will get in touch
We aim to promote and contribute to the larger conversation in community about what mental health is about, and what it is not about. Through discussions on this blog, we hope to build community, educate and promote empathy and awareness among Kenyans about mental health, and those affected by it.
This blog started as a result of conversations between two friends, Daniel Murage and Wangari Murage (Kare). Kare mentioned that she was very interested in mental health and wanted to really talk about the stigma in society around the topic. This conversation escalated quickly after finding that we had a mutual interest in mental health, as well as experiences that had drawn us to the topic. It is from this conversation that the idea of a blog where people could share their stories came along.
Why a publication? A blog allows for the sharing of stories and can reach a huge audience. On this platform, we hope to engage with different people who are affected by mental health, hear their stories and spread knowledge in that way. Further, we aim to offer educational materials through the site and enable people to learn about mental illness.
This is just but a first step in erasing the stigma, but it's worthwhile. We aim to help our readers understand what it means to have depression, to have anxiety or any sort of mental illness. Through these stories, we hope to spread empathy and understanding.
We are excited to break down the silence. We are excited to erase the stigma. We are excited to share our stories. We are excited for you to join us.