Shamiri Institute, a Kenyan mental health startup, has raised $1 million

The Templeton World Charity Foundation has given $1 million to the Shamiri Institute, which was founded in 2018 by Anzisha Prize Fellow Tom Osborn and partner Katherine Venturo-Coberly to combat the plague of mental health in Kenya and the rest of Africa.

The company has been developing and executing ways to address the youth problem, with the primary goal of ensuring that this population group has a brighter future.

“We are excited about this new chapter,” says Osborn, “and we look forward to assisting more young people with mental health challenges.” Our potential to make a difference is enormous. In recent years, this problem has influenced our work. We considered what opportunities could lie inside the situation, notwithstanding its enormity. Templeton’s assistance will enable us to expand our operations beyond Kenya to other African countries. We also aim to actively begin measuring our impact on enhancing mental wellbeing among young people through this process.”

The funds from the Templeton World Charity Foundation will be utilized to broaden Shamiri Institute’s reach across Africa. According to the United Nations, Africa has the world’s youngest population, with about 60% of its people under the age of 25. With roughly 6–8% of young people diagnosed with depression, the continent suffers from a lack of mental health literacy, the stigma surrounding mental health disorders, and underdeveloped healthcare infrastructures.

Osborn knew firsthand that African youth suffered the burden of the situation since he had dealt with mental health issues while at Harvard: “Mental health difficulties hinder many young people from leading successful lives.” It’s something I’ve personally experienced. And as a child growing up in rural Kenya, where the school was the only path to success, I saw that economic difficulties like poverty and a lack of resources can lead to mental health disorders like depression.”

With the funds, the startup will develop ways for spreading its character-based data-driven interventions to African youth, as well as examine the interventions’ long-term health aims and outcomes.