For Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura, mental health advocacy began with a personal loss: while studying psychology at the University of Zimbabwe, she learned that a fellow student had died by suicide.

The tragedy exposed a stark reality: Many young people experiencing mental health challenges had nowhere to turn for support.

“I saw the gap. I saw the need,” she recalled. “As a young person, I realised that we needed youth-driven solutions for youth mental health challenges.”

Today, the 26-year-old PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge leads the Ndinewe Foundation, a Zimbabwean organization which provides young people with locally and culturally relevant mental health resources, peer support and education.

“Our main goal is to ensure that young people have the resources and the tools they need to not only support themselves, but also support others, and that these tools and resources are locally and culturally relevant,” she said.

To this end, through community initiatives — including the sport?and?mental?health initiative — the foundation focuses on integrating mental?health education into sporting activities for children and young people.

From Local to Global

Chikaura joined 14 other UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals at United Nations Headquarters for One World, One Game, One Goal, a youth?focused event held ahead of the FIFA final matches. The event spotlighted sport’s role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The gathering also launched a new youth mental?health campaign, encouraging young people worldwide to speak openly about mental health, seek support when needed, and look out for one another.

For Chikaura, whose work combines sport and mental?health education, the campaign mirrors the core belief that has guided her advocacy from the outset: young people themselves must be at the centre of solution design.

A Growing Crisis

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15? to 29-year-olds, with the majority of these deaths occurring in low? and middle-income countries.

Chikaura noted that Africa is home to the world's youngest population, making investment in youth mental health especially critical.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done,” she said. “Not only to raise mental health awareness, but to ensure that young people have the tools and the resources they need to thrive and live meaningful lives.”

Her academic research also focuses on one of the least understood aspects of mental health: suicide prevention among autistic people.

She noted that autistic individuals face a significantly higher risk of suicide than non?autistic peers, yet tailored support remains scarce.

Giving Young People a Voice

As one of the UN's Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals, Chikaura hopes to bring the experiences of young people in Zimbabwe to international decision-makers while advocating for greater investment in mental health.

She warned that mental?health funding accounts for less than two percent of many national health budgets, despite overwhelming demand.

“Youth mental health has been neglected for far too long,” she said. “That cannot continue.”

Her goal, she added, is to ensure every community can access culturally appropriate mental?health support, so that no young person is held back from realising their potential due to mental?health challenges.

“It is my hope that young people are able to live and thrive and be the best versions of themselves.”