Mental health issues can paralyse students’ education

Amisa Rashid, a masters student in public policy and management at Strathmore University in Kenya, is a top-10 finalist for the US$100,000 Chegg.org Global Student Prize that was launched in 2021. It supplements the Varkey Foundation’s US$1 million Global Teacher Prize and is aimed at recognising extraordinary students worldwide.

Rashid was selected for launching the Nivishe Foundation which focuses on building community resilience with community-based mental health interventions and trauma-informed programmes.

University Worlds News’s Christabel Ligami spoke to her about mental health among university students.

UWN: Why did you launch Nivishe Foundation?

AR: Growing up in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa and home to the marginalised Nubian community, I witnessed the intertribal war the area is notorious for. Struggling with my own grief after the death of my father, I set up the Nivishe Foundation, a woman- and youth-led organisation. The main objective is to create mental health awareness and break the stigma of mental illnesses, targeting women, youth and children from vulnerable informal settlements and marginalised communities, many of whom are victims of violence. Nivishe focuses on building resilience with community-based mental health interventions and trauma-informed programmes to enhance cohesion.

UWN: What role does your foundation play in addressing mental health issues, especially among university students?

AR: Through our mental health clubs that cut across all learning institutions from kindergarten to university, Nivishe Foundation can support all students. Now we have partnered with KamiLimu – an incubation programme dedicated to equipping Kenyan university students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field with skills that make them globally competitive. Through KamiLimu, we organise mental health workshops for university students, therapy sessions with our professional counselling psychologists and general psychosocial support.

Nivishe’s community-based approach has impacted over 4,000 women and over 10,000 youths since 2019 with programmes providing training, workshops, counselling services and creating safe spaces. The mental health clubs involve forming partnerships with schools to work with teachers, pupils and parents to provide a holistic intervention. This has led to a 40% reduction in violence and an increase in those seeking mental health services at grassroots level.

As an all-inclusive organisation, Nivishe also offers psychosocial disability programmes including mental health services through sign language, serving 200 individuals with hearing impairments since the launch.

In 2019, Nivishe received a grant from the Youth Engagement Society. To spread awareness of mental health issues and attack the stigma surrounding it, the foundation runs an hour-long radio talk show on mental healthcare every Saturday on Pamoja FM, a community radio station. The show is now one of the most popular, reaching an estimated audience of over 300,000 listeners, focusing on different societal issues that Kibera residents face with mental health as the underlying theme.

UWN: How important is mental health awareness to university students?

AR: Since students’ lives are linked to their mental, emotional, psychological, and physical well-being, the aspect of mental health is especially important. If this is ignored, it can paralyse students’ education. For instance, if what is causing students to stress is not addressed, they might develop unhealthy coping mechanisms like addictions.

UWN: Have you conducted any studies or surveys on mental health problems among university students? If so, what were your findings?

AR: Yes. Among the problems we found is that many institutions lack a system of holistic support when it comes to mental illness among students. This also happens in the home environment. A lack of mental health resources was also observed. Additionally, some of the factors that affect mental health are poor grades, accumulating student debt, and fear of being unemployed after graduating.

University students tends to struggle with mental conditions like anxiety and depression, which are especially problematic during exam times. Some students have social anxiety in the school environment and when interacting with others. These students excel in the online environment. Other societal and structural issues like poverty, injustice, insecurity, bullying, and health issues also cause mental health challenges for university students. Suicidal tendencies have also been on the rise among students globally.

UWN: How can students overcome mental health challenges?

AR: Overcoming mental health issues is a collective responsibility. At individual level students can choose to keep mentally healthy depending on the available resources like talk therapy, eating healthy, sleeping enough, exercising, and journaling. Other stakeholders should ensure that the structural and societal issues that causes mental health are in place.

UWN: Do you have a message about mental health for young people in your country?

AR: Join us in making sure that mental health is destigmatised in our communities and country at large. They are not alone, and it is okay not to be okay. They should know that no matter what they are going through now, life eventually gets better. On many occasions I have wanted to give up but knowing that I am not a quitter helped me stay above water. I am also blessed with support from my mentors, friends and coaches who helped me stay focused.

UWN: What should universities do to support students in terms of mental health?

AR: Universities should start by listening to the needs of the student so that they can work with them, offering effective solutions. This might include universities introducing compulsory short mental health courses during the first year, and then following up by creating structures to offer support like counselling centres. However, the most effective way of universities supporting mental health is through having systems that allow students to be students without their mental health being affected.

UWN: What was the impact of COVID-19 on mental health?

AR: COVID-19 affected our mental health in terms of finding healthy ways to cope with the lockdowns and social distancing. It unfortunately increased the rate of gender-based violence. Students to whom school was a healthier environment than home and those who prefer face-to-face classes were also affected.

UWN: What is your motto in life (and learning)?

AR: My life mantra is do no harm but do not allow harm to be done to you.