Rwanda launches “Green Ribbon” mental health campaign amid enhanced push for mental health awareness

KIGALI, 10 October 2021 – Increasing awareness on mental health issues among young people and children and mitigating stigma is at the heart of the national mental health campaign scheduled to be launched on 10 October 2021.

The launch of the campaign, themed “There is hope after a diagnosis of a mental illness. Let’s seek care”, co-organized by the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and UNICEF, will coincide with World Mental Health day and is set to run for the next three months, countrywide.

The Rwanda Biomedical Center with support from UNICEF has produced a video featuring influencers including Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Center, the UNICEF Representative in Rwanda, Ms. Julianna Lindsey, Sonia Mugabo, a renowned fashion designer and recording artist Andy Bumuntu.

The video is aimed at starting the nationwide call to action/movement in support of the mental health cause – “I commit, do you?”

The three-month-long campaign is expected to contribute to pulling mental health issues out of the shadows while increasing the number of people who seek help from mental health services. Currently, public health facilities across the country provide mental health care services covered by the community-based health insurance scheme (Mutuelle de Santé).

The National Mental Health policy indicates that 27 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis, many Rwandans are still facing severe mental health challenges. The effects of the genocide still contribute to a massive burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases that persist among the elderly and trickle down to young people who are often under the care of those undergoing mental health issues.

According to the recently released UNICEF report dubbed ‘The State of the World’s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health’, more than 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10–19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder globally. Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among the top five causes of death for their age group.

The report emphasizes that mental health is a global issue, yet it remains stigmatized and underfunded in almost every country. Thus, the majority of those who need mental health care do not have access to good quality support and services. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for mental health services, with grief, isolation, loss of income, and fear triggering mental health conditions or aggravating existing ones.

At the occasion of the campaign launch and celebration of the World Mental Health day, the Kigali Convention Center will be lit in green, the mental health theme color. Other activities will include community dialogues in high education institutions such as the University of Rwanda and the high involvement of the media in conveying public awareness and behavior change messages.

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Notes to Editors

Download The State of the World’s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health.