Nigerian Activist Hauwa Ojeifo Wants You to Talk About Your Mental Health

Hauwa Ojeifo looks back on her decision to speak out about her struggles with mental health not as a choice, but an obligation. “Keeping quiet was literally a life-or-death situation,” she says. “And so I started to talk.”

After an abusive relationship and symptoms of undiagnosed bipolar disorder led her to suicidal ideation, she sought help from a psychiatrist. In 2016, she began to channel her experiences into a new project, a mental-health awareness blog called She Writes Woman. As it gained traction, Ojeifo realized that there was a need for a platform dedicated to centering the stories of people in her home country of Nigeria who were also facing difficulties with their mental health.

“Everyone was waiting for someone to be the first to speak, and I just felt an incredible sense of privilege and honor to be able to be in a position where I could use my voice,” she says.

At first, her goal was to provide support and bring awareness to a topic often considered taboo in a country with a population of 200 million and only 250 psychiatrists. She Writes Woman created a toll-free, 24/7 hotline, along with online and community-based support centers. Ojeifo says they were able to offer tangible support for people while also moving conversations about mental health out of the abstract. “We humanized the story, we humanized the numbers, and so mental health is no longer this thing that is so far away.”

In 2020, Ojeifo became the first person open about having a mental-health condition to testify before the Nigerian National Assembly for a public reading of a bill on the topic—one that later went on to become the first mental-health model Nigeria has had since gaining independence in 1960. Ojeifo has spoken at the U.N. and World Health Organization and, earlier this year, was one of 12 leaders to receive a $20 million grant from Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation.

Despite this progress, Ojeifo, now 32, believes there is still more work to be done—pushing for legislative change that can outlive the organization and enshrine access to mental-health care for all. “That is where we need to double down,” she says.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental-health crisis or contemplating suicide, call or text 988. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider. For international resources, click here.

Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com.