Willine Ikirezi started ‘Daily Healing Voice’ in 2020 after experiencing mental health issues. She decided to help her counterparts who were going through same, through daily motivational quotes.
"I started writing Daily Healing Voice on January 1, 2020 and I started this to heal me and the world. I had spent the last three years before that time battling mental health issues and I decided to use art to express myself. I then discovered that writing these quotes on a daily basis would help me on a consistent period and help others on the way as well,” she told The New Times.
In the beginning, she was writing notes in her phone and posting them on social media platforms. By then, it was one quote per day. After getting more feedback from various people she started writing three quotes per day and using her branding colours, yellow and white, on the quotes. Yellow stands for positivity and happiness, while white represents integrity of each one’s life.
"I get a lot of feedback via different social media platforms that I normally use like Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. On the way, I sometimes feel down and about to give up, but people who appreciate my work really encourage me enough to get back on the track,” she said of her experience.
Mostly, Ikirezi writes about mental health with references, as she says that she bases on her personal experience to help others. Being optimistic and having an open and growth mind-set enabled her to grow further.
"It takes me one to two hours to think of three quotes per day. Honestly, sometimes I fail to get motivation but I always find a way to come up with something from some motivational speeches, listening to some inspiring songs and others.” Ikirezi said.
Ikirezi grew up listening to Oprah Winfrey speeches, Sadghuru motivations and Jay Shetty just to mention a few, and this she says has influenced her craft. Currently, she also reads mental health specialists books and talks to learn more about the accepted truths in psychology and mental health. She recently started recording poems and wants to invest time in expanding her knowledge in arts.
The 20-year-old was born and raised in Kicukiro, Kanombe. She did her primary school at Agape School, while for secondary she attended Byimana School of Sciences for Ordinary Level and GSOB Butare, for Advanced level. Currently, Ikirezi is in her final year at Southern New Hampshire University under Kepler program, pursuing Healthcare Management Concentration Global Perspectives.
She is also the co-founder of a start-up company called "DotPharma" which delivers healthcare products such as medicine, personal care products, food supplements, hair products and others.