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In the energetic district of this area, known for its business drive and lively nightlife, an understated change is taking place. In this place, stylists are taking on positions as mental health supporters, offering a listening ear alongside grooming.

A Trailblazer in Social Aid

The stylist, a seasoned hairdresser, has invested two decades not just cutting and styling tresses but furthermore giving psychological support to her customers. Someone who left school early, she earlier worked as a financial clerk before choosing her path in styling.

“Don’t think negatively,” Tano counseled an anxious student fearing poor results. “If you don’t succeed, how can you think that everything is lost in life?”

Psychological Care in Africa: A Taboo Issue

Based on data from the WHO, in excess of 116 million people in the continent suffer from mental health problems. However, counseling is in short supply, with only very few specialists on hand per each many individuals.

In African-descendant populations, styling studios function as comfort zones, particularly in regions with little or no access to mental health care.

Heal by Hair: A Project Creating Impact

The Bluemind Foundation, working in Cameroon, another nation, and Togo, started the Healing Through Hair initiative. As stated by the program's creator, Marie-Alix de Putter, more than many professionals have been trained over the past 24 months to serve as mental health ambassadors, helping over many individuals.

Within this decade, the goal is to train over 1,000 hairdressers across various regions.

‘The Trust Exists Present’

The program was inspired from a personal heartbreak. In 2012, she experienced a murder when visiting the region of her homeland. The event remains unsolved.

“I passed my first night as a widow with my hairdresser,” she recalled. “She was the one I confided in the most because you’re just surrounded by people and there's uncertainty what happened.”

Driven by her story, the group conducted a 2021 study across seven Francophone countries. The results indicated that a large majority admitted to sharing with their hairdressers, and more than nearly all stylists reported that their clients had asked for advice.

Education and Assistance

The initiative includes a complimentary, comprehensive short-term course with mental health experts and advisors who teach hairdressers about supportive dialogue, violence against women, indicators of emotional distress, and basic psychological concepts. Once finished, tests are taken before receiving a certificate.

“The program was highly successful … I got my certificate and this knowledge,” commented Thérèse Gueu, referencing a educational material in her studio in a local neighborhood.

During a period of months, trainees receive continuous assistance through peer groups and availability of a mental health service network. In cases where a customer discloses deeper troubles, stylists can guide them to qualified therapists, or for instances of domestic violence, to the law enforcement.

Challenges and Triumphs

At first, resources for the project relied on personal funds, but today, individual contributors and organizations like France’s Development Innovation Fund are contributing. Nevertheless, funding is scarce for the volume of demand facing the foundation’s small team of employees and about supporters.

Regardless of these difficulties, participants report accounts of success and recovery. In one country, one trainee took on an individual who had been in a mental health facility, giving social rehabilitation.

“Frequently when you’ve been sick and you’ve been hospitalised, others claim you have problems,” explained she. “However, if you are employed and a person who agrees to guide you, you get out of the stigma.”

Another stylist left her situation as she was a victim of violence, but today supports others. In some communities, hairdressers mention that some male clients have also sought for counsel.

A Sense of Fulfillment

Across the professionals, there is a common sentiment of fulfillment over their rise as a type of emotional support in their communities.

“Whenever individuals visit discuss their challenges to me, it’s a pride for me too as I know that I provide support for an individual,” shared Gueu. “I believe that each person needs a confidant.”

“For a lot of participants, this is the premier validation as a influencer in their society and a guardian,” added she. “The participants are saying to us: ‘Before I was just styling, now I provide care.’”