@Fatima_ConnectTalking about yourself is not taboo
Preventingsuicide andaddictionamong youth.
Heal by Youth is a youth suicide and addiction prevention programme, by and for young people (12-25), combining peer-led support, structured group interventions, a 24/7 digital listening service, and large-scale stigma-breaking campaigns, online and offline.
Today"You are not alone in this fight. We are here."
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If women are the backbone of families, youth are the backbone of the future.
Heal by Youth
Why Heal by Youth exists
Across Africa, adolescents and young adults face risks that often arrive before any system response. Heal by Youth intervenes earlier, reduces risk factors, and prevents escalation before distress turns into suicide attempts or addiction.
Suicidal ideation
Responding to rising suicide ideation and attempts before crisis.
Addiction
Identifying substance use and high-risk behaviours early.
Pressure & isolation
Acting on academic pressure, unemployment and social isolation.
Stigma
Giving youth the language, tools and confidence to seek help without fear.
How the system works
Three channels, one prevention logic.
Heal by Youth connects peers, digital listening and public campaigns to reach young people before crisis, then orient quickly when risk appears.
Supervised peer support
Youth groups led by trained and supervised peers in schools and communities.
- 4 weekly sessions
- Mandatory follow-ups
- Escalation protocols
Listening & referral
A confidential call and chat service for 12-25 year-olds, with trained mentors and a psychologist available for crises.
- Immediate response
- Clinical supervision
- Professional referral
Youth-led campaigns
Campaigns carried by young people, influencers and peer voices to reduce stigma at scale.
- Short videos
- Social challenges
- Anti-taboo language
24/7 digital listening
A free, confidential digital call and chat service for French-speaking youth aged 12 to 25, with immediate peer listening, trained mentors and a psychologist on site to supervise crises.
Safety & credibility
Heal by Youth operates through a clear, safeguarded structure designed for clinical supervision and rapid orientation when risk appears.
A safeguarded structure
Mentors, fellows and in-school youth leaders each have defined roles: crisis supervision, session delivery, safe spaces, peer awareness and referral to professionals.
Mentors 21-25 trained for 7 weeks Fellows 18-21 In-school leaders 15-18 Peer-reviewed protocols
Listening & orientation
A psychologist supervises crises, with clear protocols for suicide risk and addiction.
What Heal by Youth measures
12-25Target age group
7Measurement tracks
- Reductions in suicidal ideation and attempts
- Reductions in high-risk substance use
- Improvements in mental well-being using validated scales
- Access to and use of support services
- Satisfaction, engagement, cost-effectiveness and qualitative feedback
What the programme prevents
- Suicide attempts
- Addiction and high-risk behaviour
- School dropout linked to distress
- Escalation of untreated trauma
Evidence base
Evidence, policy & sustainability
What makes this system different
Peer-led, not adult-led
Young people speak to young people, with language and trust that adult systems do not always reach.
Clinically supervised
This is not a wellbeing project. Roles, boundaries and escalation routes are structured.
Adapted to African contexts
The language, entry points and mobilisation start from young people's real lives.
Publicly replicable
The evidence and protocols are built for adoption by public partners.
A prevention system, not a wellbeing project.
Suicide and addiction are preventable when systems act early, locally and credibly. Heal by Youth is built with youth, for youth, and embedded in real life.