we are MENtal health work

Today, 1 in 3 youth struggles with mental health problems, but in East Africa, fewer than 1 in 10 receive treatment. Shamiri has built one of the world's most cost-effective and scalable mental health care models to meet this need.

A "for-youth-by-youth" approach

A tiered care approach: Care that can scale

Our model combines brief, evidence-based interventions with a three-tier task-shifting approach that expands the provider pool while maintaining quality.

Tier 1: Shamiri Fellows

Young lay-providers (ages 18-24) from local communities deliver group-based interventions after just 10 hours of training. They teach practical skills like growth-mindset, gratitude, and problem-solving that strengthen core beliefs about self and the world.

Tier 2: Shamiri Supervisors

Semi-professionals with bachelor's degrees or social work experience provide oversight and offer one-on-one support.

Tier 3: Shamiri Experts

The few psychologists and psychiatrists manage complex cases requiring specialized care, ensuring every youth receives the right level of support.

Shamiri Three-Tier Care System

Professionals

(Shamiri Experts)

Intensive care

Expert Care

Expert psychologists & psychiatrists offer intensive care for youth with complex mental health needs.

Semi-Professionals

(Shamiri Supervisors)

Training & support

Supervision & Support

Provide training, supervision & offer one-on-one support to ensure quality care delivery.

Supervised Lay-providers

(Shamiri Fellows)

Group interventions & peer support

Community-Based Care

Lead group-based interventions & offer near-peer support, reaching the largest number of youth.

This approach is needs-based, with built-in quality control at every level and clear pathways for escalation when youth need more intensive support.

Flipping the Innovation Pyramid: Building in Africa, for the world

Task-shifting delivers appropriate and effective care

This model delivers clinically effective care at just $7 per person—over 10-100 times cheaper than traditional therapy—with 80% of youth achieving clinically meaningful improvement in depression and anxiety after just four weeks.

A "for-youth-by-youth" approach

Brief “low-touch” interventions that have large effects

At the core of the model are brief, “low-touch” interventions grounded in clinical and social psychology research, delivered as four one-hour group sessions. These interventions teach youth practical skills that transform core beliefs about themselves and their abilities—and can achieve the same clinical outcomes as traditional multi-session therapy.

Brief and simple

Four one-hour sessions delivered delivered by lay-providers in community settings

Research-proven

Global meta-analytic data show that they can produce meaningful clinical improvements

Strengths-based

Focus on building individual strengths & functioning rather than diagnosing disorders or treating pathology

Comprable outcomes

Effects often comparable to traditional therapy for common conditions like depression (d = 0.38) & anxiety (d = 0.32)

Targeted

Target core beliefs about self & world - fostering positive thoughts, emotions & behaviors

Additional improvements

Downstream improvements in academic performance, relationships, agency & livelihoods

Practical skills

Teaches simple skills like growth mindset, gratitude & values, and problem-solving that can immediately applied in daily lives

Low-stigma

Non-stigmatizing orientation encourages participation from youth who might avoid therapy

Enabled by technology

shamiriOS is our digital platform that automates logistics, supports provider management, and offers real-time dashboards for oversight.With shamiriAI, supervisors receive AI-driven feedback to ensure quality care. Designed for low-resource settings, shamiriOS works offline, supports multiple languages, and integrates with national health and education systems to help governments manage mental health programs independently.

Shamiri Hubs are delivery infrastructure. These direct implementation units operate in high-density areas with oversight from Shamiri and partnerships with local communities and governments. Each Hub can serve 20,000 youth annually.

A "for-youth-by-youth" approach

We deliver care through two complementary models:

Shamiri Hubs

Shamiri Hubs are delivery infrastructure. These direct implementation units operate in high-density areas with oversight from Shamiri and partnerships with local communities and governments. Each Hub can serve 20,000 youth annually.

Shamiri Partners

Shamiri Partners are local private (community-based organizations and NGOs) and public (county governments and schools) partner s who deliver our model independently. They receive training, ongoing support through our shamiriOS infrastructure, and technical assistance. Currently, each partners serves at least 10,000 youth per year, enabling cost-effective, contextually relevant, and standardized scaling across diverse geographies while building local capacity.

Backed by science

Multiple trials prove our model works at scale

See the Evidence

How youth access care

We meet young people where they are—in schools and communities.Youth participate in four one-hour group sessions with 6-12 peers, learning practical skills like growth mindset, problem-solving, gratitude, and value-aligned decision-making. Sessions are facilitated by Shamiri Fellows.Between sessions, youth practice skills through take-home activities reinforcing what they've learned. They also have access to clear referral pathways: youth needing more support move to one-on-one sessions with Shamiri Supervisors, while complex cases are referred to Shamiri Experts for specialist care.

See Impact

Our mission is impact-at-scale: Delivering effective care for all young people who need it.

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Resources

Latest research & resources

Research & Resources

Policy brief

Adolescent Mental Health in Kenya: Evidence, Challenges, and Policy Solutions

Dataset

A Dataset on Adolescent Mental Health in Kenya

Policy brief

Breaking the Barrier: Addressing Kenya’s Childhood Adversity Crisis to Protect Our Youth and Future