Stakeholder engagement & mobilization
National, district, and school-level engagement with MoES, education offices, administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders to secure formal buy-in.
School selection & baseline assessment
Pilot schools selected against agreed criteria, followed by baseline assessment of attendance, academic performance, and mental wellbeing.
Teacher selection & training
Teachers trained as mental health facilitators in screening, group therapy facilitation, psychosocial support, safeguarding, and referral.
School-based screening
Trained teachers conduct standardized screening at least once per term, categorizing and enrolling or referring students by severity.
Group therapy implementation
Structured 6-week group therapy sessions (8–12 students per group) focused on emotional expression, coping skills, resilience, and goal setting.
Drama therapy sessions
Bi-weekly role-play and performance exploring depression, peer pressure, and substance abuse, followed by guided discussion.
Sports & teamwork activities
Weekly or bi-weekly football, netball, athletics, and team-building linked to psychosocial learning messages.
Storytelling for younger children
Culturally relevant storytelling for younger learners building emotional learning and early mental health awareness.
Substance abuse prevention & rehabilitation
Awareness campaigns, early identification, counselling, referral to rehabilitation, and support for reintegration into school.
Mental Health Hour
A weekly, institutionalized session on stress management, emotional wellbeing, stigma reduction, and help-seeking behaviour.
Referral system strengthening
Referral pathways between schools and nearby health facilities, with a designated focal person and simple tracking tools.
Community engagement
Quarterly community dialogues, PTA meetings, and sensitization sessions to reduce stigma and strengthen home-based support.
Monitoring & evaluation
Tracking attendance, academic performance, screening results, therapy completion, and wellbeing through registers and assessments.