Dar es Salaam. With suicide cases and substance abuse on the rise, experts have warned that failing to address mental health challenges at the grassroots, especially in schools, risks undoing hard-won progress in education and social development.
Thus, they say the conversation around education in Tanzania is incomplete without addressing a silent but deadly crisis in children and adolescents.
On Saturday, the Young and Alive Initiative (YAI), in partnership with Community Consortium Uganda (CCU), launched an innovative programme in Dar es Salaam aimed at tackling stigma and shame around mental health in schools.
The project, dubbed ‘Obstacle Race against Stigma and Shame (ORASS), targets over 3,400 pupils and students across five pilot schools.
CCU programme director Alice Male, one of the lead implementers, did not mince her words: “We all must agree that mental health stigma is a silent killer.”
“In Tanzania, research by Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) has shown that more than 31 percent of adolescents face stigma linked to mental health. Many of them end up abusing substances and others tragically take their own lives,” she said.
The school environment is one of the most critical spaces where mental health issues manifest. Academic pressure, bullying, violence at home and lack of support structures often drive children into isolation.
“We have heard of children committing suicide, while others drop out because of poor performance linked to stress and depression. Unfortunately, many schools don’t have psychologists or trained teachers to identify and support such cases,” Ms Male added.
The timing of ORASS is crucial. Tanzania, like many countries, has seen worrying spikes in suicide among the youth. Globally, the World Health Organization notes that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds.
Locally, cases of school-age children dying by suicide have shocked communities, with parents and teachers left helpless.
YAI executive director Cecilia Shirima said the programme is not just about activities, but about building resilience.
“ORASS is a movement. We are using games, peer education and community training to reduce stigma by at least 75 percent. When young people realise that mental health is not shameful, they open up, seek help and find coping mechanisms,” she said during the launch.
The project draws from Uganda’s success, where CCU has run similar interventions with promising results.
“We believe the same can happen in Tanzania if schools and communities own it,” Ms Male said.
Experts argue that schools must be the first line of defence in addressing mental health challenges.
A child psychologist based in Dar es Salaam, Dr Martin Nyoni, told The Citizen,“Teachers interact with children daily and can easily notice behavioural changes. If trained, they can intervene early, provide guidance, or connect students with professional care. Without school-level interventions, we are always reacting too late.”
Indeed, studies show that untreated mental health problems in childhood often escalate into adulthood, fuelling cycles of poverty, violence and ill health.
For Tanzania, where education reforms aim to increase enrolment, the mental well-being of learners will determine whether classrooms become spaces of hope or despair.
ORASS also targets parents, teachers and health workers with training sessions to demystify mental health.
“Communities must join hands. We cannot leave schools alone to carry this burden. Parents, leaders and even faith institutions should normalise conversations about mental health,” Ms Shirima said.
The initiative incorporates sports and games as a learning tool, simulating real-life challenges through the “obstacle race”. Children are tasked to overcome hurdles, symbolising the resilience needed in facing stigma and stress.
Despite the promise, experts caution that a single project cannot cover the scale of the crisis.
“This is a national emergency. We need many more interventions from development partners, the private sector and government. Mental health should be integrated into school health policies, with resources for counselling and referral systems,” Dr Nyoni said.
YAI, which has spent more than eight years working with young people on sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence, sees this as a natural expansion of its mission.
The organisation has used debates, digital tools and national summits to engage youth and now believes it is time to fight stigma around mental health head-on.
The launch of ORASS in Dar es Salaam may be a small step, but it sends a powerful message: schools can no longer treat mental health as a hidden issue.
Register to begin your journey to our premium contentSubscribe for full access to premium content
