Partners In Health Rwanda recently joined the World to celebrate the World Mental Health Day (WMHD) 2025. In Rwanda, the celebrations lasted three weeks across the country. This year’s theme, “Access to Services: Mental Health Problems are Treatable, Recovery is Possible”, reflected PIH Rwanda’s commitment to ensuring accessible, high-quality mental health care for all.
Community gathering for the celebration of WMHD in Rwinkwavu.
In the three districts supported by PIH Rwanda, the celebrations engaged over 3,500 community members, especially young people in schools, through discussions, poetry, educational sessions, and storytelling about mental health. The events highlighted the importance of raising awareness, promoting early access to services, and showing that recovery from mental health conditions is possible.
Prevention is better than treatment, and seeking care in the right place and at the right time should be a priority,” said Augustin Mulindabigwi, Director of the Mental Health Program at PIH Rwanda.
He emphasized the positive role families play in preventing mental health problems and supporting persons with mental health conditions to seek appropriate care. However, he noted that many families still keep their loved ones at home or take them to traditional healers, which often worsens the condition.
Mukanshimiyimana Devothe from Kiyovu Village, Mukoyoyo Cell, Rwinkwavu Sector, shared her inspiring testimony during the event. Enrolled in mental health services in 2007 with PIH support, she received medical care, food, home home essentials, and educational support for her children, and today she is thriving.
A highlight of the celebrations was the active participation of self-help groups composed of mental health service users, who shared their experiences and strategies for overcoming stigma in their communities. These groups play a crucial role in promoting understanding, encouraging peer support, and empowering individuals to seek care and reintegrate socially.
Over the last 15 years, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), PIH Rwanda has:
- Established mental health services in 45 health centers and three district hospitals.
- Trained 300+ healthcare providers (including nurses, social workers, psychologists, and clinicians) and more than 1,600 community health workers (CHWs).
- Decentralized neurological services to reduce referrals from district to referral hospitals and associated costs.
- Supported over 18,000 people who have utilized mental health services.
PIH Rwanda also emphasizes Community-based follow-up and accompaniment, which supports treatment adherence, prevents relapse, and promotes retention in care. Additionally, provision of social support for vulnerable patients helps stabilize living conditions, while psychosocial rehabilitation programs enable service users to rebuild daily functioning, regain livelihoods, and reintegrate socially.
Through these efforts, PIH Rwanda continues to demonstrate that mental health problems are preventable, treatable and recovery is possible, while fostering community engagement, reducing stigma, and ensuring equitable access to care across the country.
