Breaking the Silence: Zimbabwean Youth Leader’s Mental Health Mission
Shattering the Silence Around Youth Mental Health
the silence – Breaking the silence has become Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura’s life mission. The twenty-six-year-old psychology graduate from the University of Zimbabwe witnessed firsthand how devastating the silence can be when a classmate took her own life. This tragedy exposed a painful reality: countless young people suffered in silence, lacking accessible mental health support systems. Today, Chikaura channels her personal grief into global advocacy, determined to break the silence that surrounds youth psychological wellbeing.
“I saw the gap. I saw the need”
That pivotal moment transformed her trajectory. She understood that young people must lead the charge in addressing their own mental health challenges, rather than waiting for external solutions.
“As a young person, I realised that we needed youth-driven solutions for youth mental health challenges.”
Building Ndinewe Foundation to Break the Silence
Now conducting doctoral research at the University of Cambridge, Chikaura directs the Ndinewe Foundation. This Zimbabwe-based organization delivers mental health resources, peer assistance, and educational programs specifically designed for young people. The foundation emphasizes that solutions must resonate with local communities and cultural contexts, ensuring that no young person remains in silence.
“Our main goal is to ensure that young people have the resources and the tools they need to not only support themselves, but to support other people as well, and to ensure that these tools and resources are locally and culturally relevant”
One of the foundation’s notable programs connects athletics with psychological wellbeing. Through community-based initiatives, particularly their sport and mental health program, they weave mental health education into physical activities for children and adolescents. This approach recognizes that movement and emotional wellness are interconnected, helping young people break the silence around their struggles.
International Platform for Breaking the Silence
This Friday, Chikaura will travel to UN Headquarters alongside fourteen fellow UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. They will participate in “One World, One Game, One Goal,” an event centered on youth perspectives and held before the FIFA championship matches. The gathering will highlight how sports contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals while breaking the silence around mental health.
Additionally, the event will introduce a fresh youth mental health campaign. This initiative encourages young people globally to communicate openly about their psychological wellbeing, access help when necessary, and look out for their peers. The campaign specifically aims to break the silence that prevents young people from seeking support.
For Chikaura, whose professional work merges athletics with mental health education, this campaign embodies the core principle that has driven her advocacy: young people must occupy the central position in creating solutions for their generation.
Urgent Investment Needed to Break the Silence
The timing of this advocacy could not be more critical. The World Health Organization reports that suicide ranks as the third most common cause of death among individuals aged fifteen to twenty-nine. Alarmingly, the majority of these fatalities occur in low- and middle-income nations, where the silence around mental health remains unbroken.
Chikaura emphasizes that Africa possesses the youngest demographic globally, which makes investing in youth psychological health particularly vital for the continent’s future. She argues that breaking the silence requires substantial financial commitment.
“There is a lot of work that needs to be done”
“Not only to raise mental health awareness, but to ensure that young people have the tools and the resources they need to thrive and live meaningful lives.”
Researching Autism and Breaking the Silence
Beyond her community work, Chikaura’s scholarly research examines one of the least explored areas in mental health: preventing suicide among autistic individuals. She has found that autistic people experience a substantially greater likelihood of suicide compared to non-autistic populations, yet specialized support services remain insufficient. Her work seeks to break the silence surrounding autism and mental health.
In her capacity as a UN Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, Chikaura aims to convey the experiences of Zimbabwean youth to global policymakers while pushing for increased financial commitment to mental health initiatives.
She points out a troubling statistic: mental health consistently receives under two percent of national health budgets in many countries, despite the magnitude of the crisis. This underfunding perpetuates the silence that prevents adequate care.
“Youth mental health has been neglected for far too long”
“That cannot continue.”
A Vision for the Future
Chikaura’s ultimate objective is straightforward yet profound: she wants every community worldwide to have access to mental health support that respects and reflects local culture. She believes no young person should have their potential limited by psychological difficulties. Through her advocacy, she continues breaking the silence, ensuring that mental health becomes a priority for generations to come.
