By Avit Ndayiziga In Freetown, Sierra Leone, journalists were trained in responsible mental health reporting, an effort aimed at tackling stigma fueled, in part, by the media itself. April 20-21, 2026, I participated as a facilitator in a two-day workshop on Responsible Mental Health Reporting for Media Professionals in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was organized by…
By Avit Ndayiziga Ten journalists were trained on how to better report on child and adolescent mental health disorders in Burundi. They learned about human‑centered and data‑driven approaches. The training aims to produce stories that raise awareness and shift the paradigm on mental health disorders affecting children and adolescents in Burundi. This project, “Enhancing Mental Health…
Over the last five years, climate change-induced effects have displaced more than 190,000 people in Burundi. Yet, it is women who bear the deepest, most enduring scars. In makeshift camps, they battle not only the loss of homes and loved ones but the invisible wounds of trauma, depression, and social stigma. Limited mental health services…
Climate change and the El Niño phenomenon-induced effects have displaced over 196,000 people in Burundi. Among them, displaced youth face severe mental health crises, including PTSD, disrupting their education. Despite initiatives like the “Ni Abacu” program, urgent actions are needed to address trauma, improve disaster response, and prioritize mental health care for children and adolescents….
By Avit Ndayiziga The second full day of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) conference was held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Athens, Greece, on 27 February 2025. The conference gathered over 750 in-person and over 1,000 virtual attendees, including experts, educators, caregivers, youth, and other stakeholders. This year’s conference…
By Avit Ndayiziga At the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference (HIVR4P), held in Lima, Peru, from October 6 to 10, 2024, an important call arose to shift HIV prevention efforts away from fear-based approaches and toward ones that prioritise pleasure and empathy. Dr. Sarit Golub, a social psychologist with extensive public health experience, called…
By Avit Ndayiziga Nicknamed a miracle HIV prevention tool, Lenacapavir stands out among other existing long-acting injectable options due to its biannual dosing regimen. While there is currently no vaccine or single-shot cure for HIV, the global scientific community has made significant strides in developing a range of HIV prevention tools facilitating choices. These include…
By Avit Ndayiziga During the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference that kicked off this Sunday morning, 6 October 2024, in Lima, Peru, in Latin America, Dr. Sandhya Vasan cleared all assumptions about the absence of an HIV vaccine for over 40 years. According to this investigator, the complex nature of HIV and its rapid…
By Avit Ndayiziga In this twirling world, almost every person is likely to face mental health challenges at some point in life. This is due to major stressors like the death of a loved one, striking poverty, divorce, loss of a job, forced displacement, and others. However, according to the Office of Infectious Disease and…
By Avit Ndayiziga As the number of people living with HIV increased to 39.9 million in 2023 from 39 million in 2022, and approximately 630,000 individuals lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses worldwide in 2023. The UN official regrets that funding for HIV dropped by 5% from 2022 to 2023, falling far short of the…
