#001 - Mental Health and Peer Support Networks - with Dr. Victor Ugo

Have you ever just been through something tough, felt vulnerable, and needed to vent with a friend but found yourself with no one available? What if, at that moment, you had a support network available for you through WhatsApp? Yep, that is what MANI (Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative) has successfully managed to do to support young people’s mental health in Nigeria. Join us in this conversation with Dr. Victor Ugo on lived experience and advocacy, the importance of peer support, and engagement of your own community in designing mental health interventions. Dr. Victor is a mental health advocate and founder of the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI), one of Africa's largest youth-led and user-led mental health networks - Victor’s work facilitated the revolution in the way many young Nigerians talk and think about their mental health. He has studied Global Mental Health at King's College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and has extensive experience in youth mental health, having previous roles such as the Senior Campaign Officer for United for Global Mental Health and Co-Chair of the Child and Youth Working Group of the Global Mental Health Action Network. Dr. Victor currently serves as the MHPSS and Youth Engagement Advisor for the MHPSS Collaborative, hosted by Save The Children - Denmark. . If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to connect with us on social media to be updated on our next conversations! We are @eidocpodcast basically everywhere :)