KENYAN MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE SITAWA WAFULA NAMED BET INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL GOOD HONOUREE

BET International has honoured Kenyan mental health advocate Sitawa Wafula with the Global Good Award as part of the “BET Awards” 2022.

The Global Good Award is BET International’s recognition of global celebrities and public figures who use their platform for social responsibility, goodness, and commitment to the welfare of the global Black community. Past Global Good honorees include Brazilian activist and writer Djamila Ribeiro, French social justice activist Assa Traoré, andartist and philanthropist Akon.

Wafula is a blogger and activist who started the first free mental health support line in Kenya. The impact of her blog posts got her a seat on the stakeholder forum that audited mental health care in Kenya (Read Report), and the National Committee that developed the Kenya Mental Health Policy (2015-2030). Her blog also won a Google Award (2014) for its consistency and authenticity on matters mental health.

In 2013, she founded My Mind My Funk (MMMF) as an extension of her blog and ran it as a resource hub that provided mental health information and support. Her multifaceted approach to addressing mental health issues led to her recognition as a Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Champion by the Ministry of Health, Kenya. Internationally, she is a Senior Fellow at Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship and a member of Africa Europe Foundation’s Strategic Group on Health.

“The silence and stigma around mental health has unfortunately been part of the African, and subsequently the Black Community’s culture. By putting a global spotlight on mental health, BET is paving the way for these conversations to move from taboo topics that are not talked about in our culture to conversations we can have on the dinner table.

By recognizing me and the work I have done so far, BET is affirming me, and those struggling with their mental health, to keep talking about their personal experiences. This recognition is also a testimony for all the female African innovators who have solutions for their communities but are afraid to bring them to light because of the statistics and factors that do not favor female innovators,” says Sitawa.

“We are proud to honor Sitawa Wafula with the 2022 BET International Global Good Award and spotlight the critical work she’s doing around mental health awareness in African communities,” said Monde Twala, SVP/GM, Paramount Africa & Peer Lead BET International. 

“We’re continuing BET’s legacy of recognizing inspiring Black men and women who have touched lives through their work and contributed to the progress and upliftment of the global Black community.”