Tanzania – July 2025
A significant milestone in the advancement of youth mental health advocacy was marked this week as Mr. Charles Deogratius, Founder and Executive Director of WAYDS Tanzania, met with Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe, Director General of the East, Central, and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC). The meeting focused on expanding regional efforts to strengthen youth engagement in mental health, building on the powerful momentum created at the recent Tanzania Mental Health Summit 2025.
The conversation between Mr. Deogratius and Dr. Kapologwe was grounded in the key insights and recommendations from the Tanzania Mental Health Summit held in May in Kahama. The summit, organized by WAYDS, emphasized the urgent need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to build a sustainable Mental Health Ecosystem in Tanzania and beyond.
Recognizing that mental health challenges among youth are not isolated to one country, both leaders reaffirmed the importance of regional collaboration and youth-centered strategies that scale impact across borders.
During the meeting, Mr. Deogratius presented a blueprint for a regional Demonstration Program — an initiative designed to serve as a transformative model for cross-sector mental health solutions. The proposed program aims to convene actors from across health, research, civil society, and youth sectors to pilot scalable innovations in mental health care delivery.
Key actors envisioned in this blueprint include:
1. Wizara ya Afya Tanzania (Ministry of Health, Tanzania)
2. ECSA Health Community
3. Africa Academy for Public Health (AAPH)
4. World Health Organization (WHO)
5. Fondation Botnar, among other global and local partners
The meeting ended on a highly optimistic note, with both sides committing to deeper engagement and alignment around evidence-based, collaborative, and youth-led strategies. With the support of ECSA-HC and other influential institutions, mental health has the potential to become a regional development priority, starting with Tanzania as a model.
“We are optimistic about co-creating a regional movement for mental health that is grounded in collaboration, innovation, and youth leadership. This is a step toward real transformation.”
– Charles Deogratius, Executive Director, WAYDS Tanzania
