How to be there for someone struggling with mental health

Teen girl suffering from depression sitting with head in lap. (Courtesy/iStock]

As Kenya joins the rest of the world in observing Mental Health Awareness Week, this year's theme - community - invites us to reflect on a deeply human need: the desire for connection and a sense of belonging. Sometimes healing doesn't always happen in therapy rooms or hospital wards. It happens in the simplest places - on a park bench with a friend, at the kitchen table with family or during a heartfelt chat with a neighbour.

In our African heritage, the concept of Ubuntu, I am because we are, captures the very essence of mental well-being through community. Research shows that having strong connections to our community helps us feel like we belong, which significantly improves our mood.