Mental health, inclusion and the forgotten rural students

In rural areas, children with disabilities often live in silence. They are ridiculed by their peers, neglected by untrained teachers and stigmatised by the community. This social isolation can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem, and ultimately, dropping out of school. Physical access without emotional inclusion is not true inclusion.

As the initiator of the Solidarity with Children with Disabilities Initiative (SCDI), I have witnessed firsthand how mental health challenges keep children from enjoying education to its full potential. While policies like the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) promise inclusive education, most children are left behind since their emotional well-being is not taken care of.

We learned at SCDI that policies and ramps did not count for anything if children did not feel wanted and seen. So we developed programs that focus on emotional inclusion as a core element of education.

Among our successful interventions is our Peer-Support Program, where students are empowered to assist their peers with disabilities. This low-cost yet highly effective strategy encourages empathy, prevents bullying, and promotes a sense of belonging among all the children.

We also initiated Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) sessions. They engage boys in conversations regarding respect, positive masculinity, and standing up for their friends, especially girls and students with special needs. By changing attitudes early, we are establishing a school culture of kindness and inclusion.

But stigma is not only a challenge to the mental health of disabled girls. Girls are also absent from school during their menstruation because they cannot afford sanitary pads and hence they become shy and withdraw. To address this, we initiated the One Plastic, One Pad Programme, where we collect plastic waste and transform it into affordable sanitary pads called Nyadhi Pads. This innovation not only restores the dignity of such girls but also conserves.

A healthy mind is a key component of education. A child can sit in a classroom and yet not be there emotionally if they feel unloved, unwanted, or ashamed. True inclusion must nurture both the mind and the heart.

Working at SCDI, we see how tiny, local-level things can alter children with disabilities’ mental health, offering them not just access to school but also dignity and confidence to thrive.

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– Founder, Solidarity with Children with Disabilities Initiative (SCDI) & One Plastic, One Pad Initiative; Changemakers Award Winner, Women Achievers Africa 2025 (ESG Excellence – SDGs 3, 5, 12, 13)