MENTAL HEALTH DAY

“Mental wellbeing is more important than physical health”

Kigali, Rwanda, October 10th 2025, World Mental Health Day

As Rwanda joins the world in marking World Mental Health Day 2025, the people of Kigali send a clear and compassionate message: mental health is life itself. Too often, physical health is treated as the only form of health that matters, while mental wellbeing remains overlooked and suppressed, says Annualite Uwayezu, Executive Director of Chase a Better Tomorrow and life coach.

Today, Kigali witnessed something remarkable. In the streets of Mu Myembe, Kimihurura,

Nyamirambo, and Downtown Kigali, Chase a Better Tomorrow & Simone Smiles Rwanda

spoke with over 50 people, from motorbike riders and schoolchildren to entrepreneurs and

construction workers, about emotional wellbeing and healthy coping strategies.

While many Rwandans were open and expressive, most muzungus seemed too busy to

engage. Yet one message stood out: mental wellbeing is as vital as, if not more important

than, physical health.

“You can lose your arm and survive,” said one man, “but if you lose your mind, you

lose yourself.”

Many also linked mental health to daily survival.

“There’s no mental health without food,” said one woman.

Others emphasized teaching parents, loving children, and improving livelihoods as keys to

emotional strength and stability.

This year’s global theme, set by the World Health Organization, is “Mental Health and

Psychosocial Support in Emergencies.” For Rwanda, a nation still healing from its past and

facing social and economic challenges, including youth unemployment, the message

resonates deeply. Supporting mental health means fostering recovery, resilience, and the

right to a better tomorrow.

To further this mission, Chase a Better Tomorrow has initiated the Peacock Project, a

bimonthly program that begins with food first and thought after. The initiative provides meals

and mental health coaching over 50 children, helping them discover their talents, heal, and

build resilience through nourishment and education.

Uwayezu concludes with a call to action: “We must work together to reach every village in

Rwanda: to teach, to listen, to help children heal, and to make them smile. Because truly,

there is no health without mental health.”

More information: www.chaseabettertomorrow.org