Youth for Sustainable Development (Nairobi Chapter)

Mental health concerns continue to be on the rise. Incidences of suicide make the news headlines every other day. While depression is a global health concern, in Kenya alone, 1.9 million people are affected by mental illnesses.   In the last decade, Kenya has seen a rise of suicide cases at an alarming rate of 85 per cent. Data has also shown that more men than women are likely to die through suicide. The covid-19 pandemic hasn’t made things better. Loss of income, social interruptions, education interruptions and many other changes in our daily lives have increased stress, tension and led to depression. With many people not sure of how to tell that they are depressed, they, in the long run get overwhelmed and self-destruct.   Common statements such as “Act like a man”, “Be strong like a man”, “A man shouldn’t cry” continue to plunge men into depression, mental illnesses and suicide. The society sees a man as a strong, extraordinary creature that cannot fall to his knees....

Hello Novermber! We continue to highlight our youth champions who continue to transform their communities in various capacities. This article focuses our spotlight on our last 2 champions. We celebrate their community development contributions.    ROBERT RUHIU Background and Passion Robert is an actuarial science student. He is an avid volunteer and aspiring  entrepreneur with a passion to help other young people develop economically  through entrepreneurship. He is also very involved in the efforts to combat climate  change and environmental destruction. Leadership and Achievements He has played a key role in multiple community outreach programs with various  organizations including VSO, Volunteer-Involving Organizations, Greenpeace Africa and  the Hult Prize. While volunteering in VSO he helped plan a three-day training to  empower young people with hearing disability gain employment skills. He also  organized a clean-up and waste manag...