For Vivian Anyango Aola, mental health is deeply personal. Growing up she witnessed people around her struggling with emotional distress without access to support, understanding or solutions. Those early experiences laid the foundations for her work today as a mental health advocate at St. Daniel Comboni mission in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Mental health is about feelings – something we all experience every day," Vivian explains. "Ensuring people are supported in those feelings is what drives my work."
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Creating safe spaces and challenging stigma
In her role, Vivian works closely with people living with mental health conditions and psychosocial, intellectual and cognitive disabilities. Through dialogue, listening and shared learning, she helps create safe spaces where people feel seen, heard and respected. However, stigma and discrimination remain significant barriers.
"Witnessing stigma only strengthens my resolve to fight for inclusion, acceptance and equal treatment for all," she says.
Vivian enrolled in the WHO 'QualityRights in Mental Health' online, self-paced course available on the WHO Academy learning platform to strengthen her knowledge and advocacy skills. The six-module course provides the foundation for challenging stigma and discrimination and for promoting person-centred, rights-based approaches in mental health.
"The course gave me a new perspective," she says. "It showed me how to support people in ways that respect autonomy and promote recovery, rather than focusing only on treatment."
The importance of language and culture
Since its launch, more than 141 000 people have enrolled in the course globally, and it is now available in 17 languages on the learning platform – the highest number of languages of any WHO course.
For Vivian, accessibility is key to transforming mental health systems. "Language is a bridge between professionals and communities," she explains. "When mental health resources are available in local languages, they reduce misunderstanding, build trust and encourage people to seek help. It also empowers health workers to deliver care in ways that are culturally sensitive and relevant."
In a global evaluation of the course, which analysed data from over 3000 learners, attitudes toward people with mental health conditions improved by 22.78% overall after completing the course, with even greater shifts in low- and middle-income countries (29.18%) compared to high-income countries (20.58%) [1] .
"The course equips participants with the essential knowledge and skills to transform mental health into a more rights-based, inclusive and recovery-oriented system," explains Vivian. "It reinforces that change is possible. When people understand rights, dignity and recovery, the entire system can begin to shift."
Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use
