Community · First findings

What we learned from
the landscape scan

We asked people doing mental health work in East Africa about their work, the gaps they see, and what would make a shared community useful. 12 people answered between 28 September 2026 and 16 October 2026. This page shows their answers as of 1 November 2026.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer.

Who answered

  • Clinical practitioners and psychologists5 of 12
  • NGO, programme and community staff4 of 12
  • Advocates, lived experience and creative work3 of 12

11 of 12 work in Kenya, and 1 across Eastern Africa.

Where people who chose to be named work

9 of the 12 chose to be named. Their organisation and focus are listed here in their own words, placed by county. 3 shared anonymously and are counted in the totals on this page, but not listed here.

Showing all 9 entries.

  • Across Kenya

    A MAN MUST CRY MENTAL HEALTH MOVEMENT

    My work focuses on breaking the silence around men's mental health in Kenya by creating safe, non-judgmental spaces for men to speak, cry, and heal.

  • Across Eastern Africa

    Think peace learning and support hub

    We work at the intersection of mental health and peacebuilding

  • Kilifi

    Destined For Greatness Kenya

    I use performing arts to tell stories on the struggles with suicide.

  • Kisumu

    NeuroConnect Therapy Centre

    Children neurological development

  • Kisumu

    USAID/MAKE ME SMILE KENYA

    Mostly interacting with community members and listening to their daily issues

  • Mandera

    Emerge CBO

    I reach out to individuals facing mental health issues and listen. Then provide therapy if required and refer to psychiatric care.

  • Mombasa

    No organisation named

    I focus on trauma informed care. I am a Trauma informed psychosocial counselor, A global EFT and TT practitioner, A holistic wellness practitioner in somatic healing and energy healing.

  • Nairobi

    Enanka art gallery

    I have an art-based corporate wellness program based at an art gallery that helps corporate teams to explore their creativity, decrease stress, enhance team cohesion amongst other benefits.

  • Nyeri

    Tender hands wellness

    My work as a psychiatry nurse focuses on assessing and managing mental health conditions

County boundaries: geoBoundaries gbOpen Kenya ADM1 (counties), simplified, 2020, listed as public domain.

What would make a shared community useful

Each person could choose more than one.

  • Joint funding proposals10 of 12
  • Referral pathways between organizations10 of 12
  • Shared training/resources9 of 12
  • Visibility into who else is working on what9 of 12
  • Policy advocacy coordination8 of 12
  • Peer support/case consultation7 of 12

What people said they could offer

Each person could choose more than one.

  • Mentoring others9 of 12
  • Speaking on a panel/webinar9 of 12
  • Co-authoring proposals8 of 12
  • Just participating/listening for now4 of 12
  • Sharing resources or training materials4 of 12

How people want to stay in touch

Each person could choose more than one.

  • WhatsApp group11 of 12
  • In-person meetups9 of 12
  • Email list6 of 12
  • Notion/shared doc3 of 12
  • Slack1 of 12

The biggest gap people named

We asked what people see as the biggest gap in how mental health work is coordinated across the region. Their answers named stigma and understanding, funding and resources, and staff and places to get help most often. 1 of the 12 named coordination directly.

  • Stigma and understanding5 of 12

    Stigma, myths, and limited public understanding of what mental health is.

  • Funding and resources3 of 12

    Little funding for the work, or too few material resources to do it.

  • Staff and places to get help3 of 12

    Too few trained staff, and too few suitable places to offer care or a listening ear.

  • Locally grounded knowledge1 of 12

    Mental health language and research borrowed from elsewhere.

  • Working in silos1 of 12

    Organisations working separately, and grassroots groups absent from decision tables.

An answer could name more than one theme.

Your answers, your choice

Everyone chose how their answer appears. 9 chose to be named: the map shows their organisation, where they work, and the sentence they wrote about their focus, as they wrote it. 3 chose to share anonymously: their answers are counted in the figures above, with no name, organisation or wording shown. No one chose to be left off. We do not publish anyone’s email address or phone number.

You can withdraw your response at any time by emailing privacy@sikivu.app, but not from findings already published or sent.