By Haddy Touray

–Four young Gambian advocates are working to break the stigma surrounding mental health by encouraging open discussions, promoting help-seeking and calling for stronger support systems for young people.

Lamin Fofana, Aisha Sarr, Isatou Saho and Aji Jacob Njie began their advocacy journey in November 2025, when they participated in an online Child and Young People’s Mental Health Workshop that brought together young advocates from across Africa.

The workshop explored issues including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, stigma and suicide prevention, helping participants understand mental health challenges and the role young people can play in addressing them.

Inspired by the experience, Fofana began creating spaces where young people could discuss their mental health experiences and support one another.

“I started small,” he said. “We simply created a space where young people could discuss their mental health experiences. Then more people joined.”

The discussions gradually expanded into community and online platforms, providing opportunities for young people to speak about their emotional well-being and learn about available support.

Fofana said the experience showed him that many young people were willing to discuss mental health but needed safe and supportive environments in which to do so.

Sarr said the workshop helped her recognise that mental health challenges were not always visible, particularly when young people felt unable to discuss anxiety, pressure and fear.

“I left that workshop knowing I wanted to be part of the solution,” she said, adding that young people needed the confidence and language to recognise when they or their peers required support.

With continued mentorship from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and The Gambia’s National Mental Health Programme, the four advocates participated in the Mental Health Intercountry Learning Workshop on Accelerating Progress Towards the 2030 African Regional Mental Health Targets, held in Lomé, Togo, in July 2026.

The regional meeting brought together participants from across Africa to advance mental health policies and services, with discussions covering community and school-based interventions, suicide prevention, addictive behaviours and digital mental health initiatives.

This time, the Gambian advocates took on leadership roles. Saho co-moderated discussions on addictive behaviours and digital mental health interventions, while Sarr co-moderated a session on youth and suicide prevention.

“Investing in mental health is an investment in human potential. When people are empowered to care for their mental well-being and seek help when needed, communities become healthier, more resilient, and better equipped to thrive,” said Dr Ifeanyi Udenweze, WHO’s Team Lead for Health Emergencies in The Gambia.

Jarra Marega, Programme Manager for National Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, said the involvement of young people in mental health advocacy offered hope for a future in which seeking help would be viewed as a strength rather than a weakness.

“For many years, mental health has been a difficult topic to discuss openly. Seeing young people lead these conversations gives us hope that the next generation will grow up in communities where seeking help is seen as a strength, not a weakness,” she said.

Saho, a nursing student, said stigma continued to discourage people from seeking assistance when they experienced mental health challenges.

“In many communities, people still fear talking about mental health,” she said. “Some believe asking for help means you are weak.”

She said she was working to challenge these perceptions by encouraging her peers to discuss emotional well-being and seek support when necessary.

Njie, meanwhile, argued that raising awareness must be accompanied by practical measures to strengthen mental health services and support young people engaged in advocacy.

She said young people were already supporting one another but needed stronger systems and greater investment to ensure they were not left to shoulder the responsibility alone.

“We have the policy. We have the evidence. We have the will. Now we need the action,” she said.

The advocates’ work highlights the role young people can play in challenging stigma, promoting early help-seeking and contributing to efforts to improve mental health awareness and services in The Gambia.