Playbook/Enugu: Peer-to-peer mental health support and awareness

From Local Area Network
Circle: Enugu
City: Enugu, Nigeria
Issue bucket: Healthcare
Status: Won
Date:
Written by:
Copied by:

Steward: Parzival

Summary: In October, the Enugu Circle visited the Federal Psychiatric Hospital and agreed to build a partnership to tackle the highly stigmatised local issue of mental health. They produced and published a mental health awareness film and built a demo of the “Anchor Library”, a resource site meant to support peer-to-peer training.

The issue

Young people in Enugu struggle to get mental health support; Nigeria has about one mental health worker for every million people. Therapy in Enugu costs ₦15,000 to ₦80,000 (about $10 to $53) per session, which is unaffordable for most young adults. Stigma and fear of being identified keep people from seeking help, because word spreads quickly through informal networks like WhatsApp groups, and depression is sometimes dismissed as laziness or treated as a spiritual problem.

Why was it winnable

The first steps needed no funding: an awareness film, a free resource library, and meetings with existing institutions. Every member knows someone affected, and the Circle includes developers and students who could build the library.

Who was affected

Young people in Enugu, especially students who can’t afford therapy or fear being identified when they ask for help.

The goal

Make mental health struggles easier to talk about, and support easier to reach, for young people in Enugu. The Circle aimed to raise awareness through a short film showing that mental health issues are common, how they present, and that they are not the fault of the person experiencing them. They also planned to build a public resource library to support peer-to-peer mental health training, with privacy as the default, alongside an anonymous peer-support channel and a therapy subsidy fund for students who can’t afford professional care

What they did

  1. Surfaced the issue in the Circle. Mental health support was the first topic at Enugu #2, alongside NIN data protection, anonymous platforms and decentralised identity.
  2. Ran an open pitch session. At Enugu #5 (28 June), five members each pitched a problem: goal tracking, agricultural support for farmers, a free library, school fee transparency, and kidney disease. The Circle called it the most successful activity it had run that year.
  3. Visited the Federal Psychiatric Hospital. The team met a senior professional to learn about the mental health crisis in Enugu, and agreed to further the partnership.
  4. Reached out through the hospital contact. The contact led to an advocate at Afia TV, who couldn’t do a health talk at that time. A later meeting was arranged to discuss possible airing.
  5. Produced a short film. The mental health awareness documentary was completed and published on a YouTube channel for the Circle.
  6. Built the Anchor Library demo. A demo of a resource site to support peer-to-peer mental health training, which other Circles might adopt.
  7. Prepared partnership proposals and outreach. The Circle drafted proposals for the University of Nigeria’s Department of Psychology and Bespoke Therapeutic Consults, and arranged outreach to two private universities.

Who they worked with

The Federal Psychiatric Hospital (senior professional), an advocate at Afia TV, Roots Café Enugu (venue), and Circle members. Partnership for future activities are being discussed with the University of Nigeria’s Department of Psychology and Bespoke Therapeutic Consults.

What worked

The open pitch format for sourcing winnable issues produced energy, depth of discussion and variety, with five members each pitching a problem they cared about. Visiting the Federal Psychiatric Hospital opened a second door, to an advocate at Afia TV. Producing a film and a library demo gave the Circle something concrete to show members and partners.

What didn’t work

Choosing the issue took months, and the Circle now recommends a structured vote or scoring exercise on impact and feasibility. The Afia TV health talk also couldn’t be scheduled at the time, so a later meeting was arranged to discuss possible airing. The film’s reach has also been limited so far, with only 37 views on YouTube as of 1 November 2026, and it is hard to measure what impact it has had on the actual local issue of mental health struggles.

The outcome

The Circle published its mental health awareness film on YouTube, where it has 37 views as of 1 November 2026, and built a demo of the Anchor Library resource site

What was learned

Settling on an issue took months and a structured vote would have helped.

What could another Circle replicate

Run an open pitch session where several members each pitch a problem, then shortlist against agreed criteria such as impact and feasibility, and vote before the next meeting so the choice doesn’t drag on. Pick an issue with a direct, measurable result where possible, and decide early how you’ll track it, for example YouTube analytics, screening attendance or feedback from viewers.

Resources

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