In 2019, Sauteur Ndikubwimana and his fellow students (seven females and six males) who were pursuing clinical psychology, medicine, and public health at different local universities gathered for a discussion. They came to a conclusion — they needed to put what they were learning into practice — particularly, helping different people in the community.

According to Ndikubwimana, after engaging different mental health activists in the discussion, the result was Ubuzima Innovation Hub, an organisation with a mission to promote sexual and reproductive health, entrepreneurship, and raise mental health awareness among Rwandan youth.

Ndikubwimana who is currently the programme manager of the organisation and vice president of Rwanda Catalyst 2030 which partners with them, says the members decided to centre their activities around making an impact on the community, predominantly focusing on promoting the mental well-being of different individuals.

"We decided to raise mental health awareness among the youth, and also empower them with entrepreneurship skills and knowledge about sexual and reproductive health,” he says, adding, "We were aware that if the youth are not knowledgeable enough about the two, it would cause mental health issues.”

Ndikubwimana asserts that they decided to work in countryside communities given that most organisations they knew who were doing similar work were working in schools.

Having had a personal experience in 2018 when he joined university where he feared persons with disabilities (PWDs), and later realised they were people who are capable of doing different things just like anyone else, he and other members of Ubuzima Innovation Hub unearthed that PWDs weren’t being reached out to by many when raising mental health awareness.

"We decided to start reaching out to them to provide psychoeducation,” says Ndikubwimana. "We realised that they were battling mental health issues mainly from the stigma around them in their communities, as well as being excluded from awareness campaigns. We could feel how burdening it was for them.”

Musanze experience

On January 30, members of Ubuzima Innovation Hub had a discussion with 43 persons with disabilities based in the Muhoza sector in Musanze District, under the theme "My ability is far beyond my disability”.

According to Ndikubwimana, by talking to them, they realised that they were facing issues regarding neighbours who were name-calling them due to their disabilities and the stigma around them — something he says had caused some to suffer from depression.

During the discussion, the organisation delivered psychoeducation to the PWDS in groups of five, tackling the role they can play in overcoming the challenges they face.

"We wanted to boost their self-esteem, to show them that there are people who care about them, as well as teach them how they can behave in case they are bullied and insulted by anyone in their community,” he says.

They learned that instead of feeling lonely, they can talk to their fellows in the groups formed and help each other out, Ndikubwimana continued.

Jean-Bosco Habarurema, one of the PWDs who were coached, says it made him gain self-esteem, adding that instead of being held back by his disability, he chose to work and push his life forward.

He says that Ubuzima Innovation Hub also donated Rwf 200,000 to their saving group named ‘Duterimbere Gasanze’ which supports PWDs members financially.

"What they taught me opened my eyes,” says Habarurema, adding, "Realising that there are people who care about us encourages us to live. We really needed their advice.”

The interaction between Ubuzima Innovation Hub and PWDs in Muhoza left the leadership of the sector inspired, and they asked them to extend their discussions to community gatherings of Amasibo.

Ndikubwimana says the organisation seeks to increase awareness activities that engage other people through different channels, including radio, as well as establish branches across the country to coach other youth who can help them further.

He notes that they also seek to strengthen advocacy campaigns regarding the mental health of PWDs, adding that so far, they have impacted people in different areas and have gained over 40 members.

Tackling the challenges they still face, Ndikubwimana points out financial constraints as well as the lack of different branches across the country to reach more beneficiaries.

However, they plan to organise a workshop that brings together societies that work with PWDs, as well as a national dialogue, and hope it will birth solutions.

"We also seek to digitise our services to serve our beneficiaries better,” Ndikubwimana says.