Stand Out 4 Mental Health

20/11/2025

As we anticipate scaling in 2026.

We are seeking to raise at least $1000 to support our Artvista Mtaani project.

Your support in cash and in kind is highly welcome.

With $10 you can support one learner access expressive art therapy sessions.

To donate reach out to us on standout4mentalhealth@gmail.com
+254780796146

You can make payments to, Till number 4185676

20/11/2025

At , we see daily how children use creativity and play to tell us what matters to them.

Our role is simple: listen, protect, and act.

This year’s theme, My Day, My Rights, calls all of us, parents, teachers, therapists, artists, schools, communities, and leaders, to put children’s wellbeing at the center.

Their rights are non-negotiable. Their future is our responsibility.

Let’s build a world where every child feels safe, heard, and supported.

A special thank you to everyone who continues to stand with us in championing children’s rights, wellbeing, and dignity.

To our community partners, schools, parents, mentors, volunteers, and the incredible young people who trust us with their stories and creativity, we honor you. Your support fuels the work we do at Stand Out 4 Mental Health.

Every expressive art therapy session, every mural, every play-based lesson, every safe conversation is made possible because you believe in a world where children are heard, protected, and empowered.

Thank you for walking this journey with us. Together, we are building environments where children not only survive but truly thrive.

19/11/2025

Please note that Yaa is not married or in a relationahop,
but she is beginning to show affection toward the opposite sex(she is almost 23) and honestly, this is a conversation I have been afraid to have. I’m sharing this not to judge her, but to start an honest dialogue, so that we can all learn, guide, and support each other as our children grow.

As a mother, I find myself wondering: What do I do? How do I navigate this? I am still learning too, and some days I feel lost. Yet one thing remains certain whatever happens, her safety and comfort will always come first.

I received this photo from a friend who was standing by and knows me.
met Yaa today after work. Apparently, Yaa and her caregiver was standing by the roadside waiting for an Uber after closing from work.

At that same moment, “Brother in Christ”( oh brother in christ is such a good person)
was crossing from the other side of the road to get a taxi. He didn’t even see Yaa and the caregiver standing there. But Yaa noticed him immediately and before anyone could say a word, she ran as fast as she could straight into his arms to hug him.

It was such a genuine and heartfelt moment. Children like Yaa don’t fake affection; they respond openly to the people who make them feel safe and valued.

So, as we navigate this phase of her growing up, I hope we can continue to hold these conversations with openness, wisdom, and respect. Our children are teaching us daily, and we are learning right alongside them.

19/11/2025

International Men’s Day —Celebrating Boys and Men

Today, Stand Out 4 Mental Health honors every boy and man who chooses courage, kindness, and vulnerability. You matter, your struggles matter, and your mental health matters.

But beyond celebration, this day is a call to action.

Recent reports show a heartbreaking reality: out of every 10 su***de cases in Nairobi, 8 are male.

In areas like Eastlands, su***de among young men is rising sharply. Across Kenya, four people die by su***de every day, and too many are men who feel they cannot reach out.

Why?
Because of harmful masculinity norms, shame around seeking help, and limited access to mental health services.

👉 But there is hope.

Nairobi’s new Mental Health Strategic Action Plan 2025–2030 aims to bring mental health support closer to men — in workplaces, digital spaces, and even barbershops.

To every man:

It’s okay to struggle.

It’s okay to ask for help.

Vulnerability is strength — and it saves lives.

📞 Need to talk? Call or text +254 780 796 146. You’re not alone.

08/11/2025

Championing Lived Experience in Global Mental Health!

We are honoured to share that our Founder Christine Ombima will be joining changemakers from across the world at the 7th Global Mental Health Summit, set for 10th–12th November 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Christine Ombima is a dedicated mental health advocate and lived experience leader passionate about building peer-led support systems and amplifying community voices in mental health advocacy. Through her work at Stand Out 4 Mental Health, she champions meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience, promotes workplace wellness, and drives creative community initiatives that make mental health conversations more accessible and relatable.

The conference is a powerful platform to connect, learn, and co-create solutions that make mental health care more inclusive, equitable, and community-driven. We look forward to bringing the voices and stories from our communities into this global dialogue.

Together, we’re shaping a world where lived experience leads the way, and mental health is recognized, supported, and celebrated as a universal right.

🔗 Learn more: [www.7thgmhsummit.org]

04/11/2025

We’re thrilled to celebrate our Founder, Christine Ombima, who was awarded with the Teach For Kenya Alumni Excellence Award 2025 during the Jasiri Cohort IV Graduation!

Two years after completing the , this recognition is a powerful reminder that true leadership goes beyond the classroom, it’s about showing up for others, creating opportunities, and staying grounded in purpose long after the fellowship ends.

Being feted is no small feat; it’s a celebration of the collective effort of learners, parents, teachers, and changemakers who continue to inspire our impact in communities that lack access.

Special appreciation to Gramo Joy Pre & Primary Schools, Christine’s placement school, for being the foundation of her journey, and to the Teach For Kenya family for the platform, mentorship, and belief that every child should live to their full potential.

Christine dedicates this win to Stand Out 4 Mental Health and our creative initiative — a movement born from the same spirit of community, creativity, and compassion that Teach For Kenya nurtured in her.

This milestone affirms that when we lead with purpose and heart, impact multiplies far beyond where we start.

04/11/2025

24/10/2025

We are beyond excited to share that Our Founder Christine Ombima has recently joined the World Health Organization (WHO) Family Intervention Network for Psychosis.

This is a huge step forward, not just for her, but for the work we are doing in Kenya and Africa at large.

This milestone is close to our heart. For us, mental health is not just a professional focus, it’s about lived experience. Families carry so much of the weight in recovery, yet their voices are often unheard. We know the pain of silence and stigma, and I also know the power of support, love, and safe spaces.

That’s why this network matters: it brings together experts, caregivers, and those with lived experience to co-create solutions that are humane, inclusive, and globally relevant.

To be part of a global network that brings together experts, caregivers, and practitioners is humbling, and we can’t wait to learn, contribute, and represent our context and stories on a global stage.

This is more than joining a network. It’s amplifying voices, sharing stories, and building environments where recovery is possible, one family at a time.

Join us in congratulating Christine for this huge milestone.

24/10/2025

Happy to share that our Founder and Executive Director, Christine Ombima, is now part of The Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks (GAMIAN-Europe) Pool of Experts by Experience.

She shares....

"I’m truly grateful to join this incredible network of individuals bringing lived experience in mental health to the heart of research, policy, and innovation.

For me, this opportunity goes beyond a personal milestone, it’s a powerful reminder that our stories, struggles, and recoveries are not just experiences to survive, but knowledge to share."

At Stand Out 4 Mental Health we’ve always believed in the power of lived experience, that those who have walked through mental health challenges hold unique insight that can inform better systems, compassionate care, and community healing.

Through this platform, she hopes to bring the voices of Kenyan youth and persons with lived experience into global conversations, showing that when experience meets empathy and expertise, change becomes possible.

This isn’t just a personal journey, it’s a collective one. Here’s to amplifying real stories, shaping humane and ethical solutions, and standing out for mental health Globally.

Join us in congratulating Christine for this great milestone.

Image Credit: Mumbi Muturi

24/10/2025

🌍 Exciting News!

We’re proud to share that Stand Out 4 Mental Health has been selected as one of the successful applicants for theChange the Game Academy (CtGA) Local Fundraising Programme by the Kenya Community Development Foundation!

This milestone marks an important step in our journey toward sustainability and community-driven growth. The CtGA programme empowers grassroots organisations to build local fundraising capacity, strengthen advocacy, and ensure that change is not just funded; it’s owned by the community.

With this opportunity, we’ll deepen our ability to mobilize local resources, engage more meaningfully with our supporters, and sustain our healing-centered work for children, youth, and families.

A heartfelt thank you to Mama Hope, Edlaunch Africa (Teach For All) and Teach For Kenya for their incredible mentorship in fundraising and organizational growth. Your guidance continues to shape how we build, dream, and sustain impact.

Together, we’re proving that healing doesn’t have to be distant or clinical — it can be local, creative, and community-led.

20/10/2025

Today, as Kenya honors her heroes, I pause to celebrate the incredible people who make Stand Out 4 Mental Health
what it is — our volunteers, support group members, families, persons with lived experience, mental health professionals, and allies. 💚

Each of you is a 'shujaa' (hero) in your own way. You show up with compassion where stigma still exists. You listen, you create, you share, you care, and through these simple but powerful acts, you help others find strength, healing, and hope.

At Stand Out 4 Mental Health, we do this work because we believe that mental health is a shared responsibility. Healing happens when we stand together, when we use our art, our stories, our voices, and our hearts to remind each other that no one walks alone.

So today, I celebrate YOU, the everyday heroes who make mental health visible, possible, and human.
Happy Mashujaa Day! 🇰🇪💚