By John Kariuki
The Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA), under the leadership of CEO Benta Opande, is taking bold and urgent action to confront the mental health crisis plaguing the education sector. With suicide and depression rising among teachers, and lifestyle diseases reaching alarming levels, KEWOTA has made mental wellness its top priority this May—recognized globally as Mental Wellness Month.
This month’s tragedy—the reported suicide of a mathematics and chemistry teacher from Gachie High School in Kiambu County—has underscored the painful reality facing educators. For KEWOTA, it is a call to action. “Every teacher we lose is a guiding light extinguished too soon. We must act now,” says CEO Benta Opande.
In response, KEWOTA is rolling out the 2024–2025 Teachers’ Mental Wellness Walk, with charity walks planned across five counties this Saturday. The movement will culminate in a national walk on Sunday, May 25, symbolizing a united front in the fight for mental wellness among educators.
More than just symbolic, these walks represent a growing national movement one that has already sparked the development of Kenya’s first-ever Teacher Wellness Centre. This pioneering facility will offer mental health support tailored specifically to the needs of teachers, including counseling, therapy, and preventative wellness programs.
“Our vision is clear,” says Opande. “We are walking to heal teachers, and in doing so, we are healing the nation. This is just the beginning.”
Through this initiative, KEWOTA is not only breaking the silence around mental health but also driving long-term solutions. With the support of communities, education stakeholders, and the public, the organization hopes to transform schools into spaces of safety, support, and wellbeing.
KEWOTA is calling on all Kenyans to join the movement through purchase of a T-shirt for Ksh 1,000. Show up. Walk with us. Speak out. Because when teachers heal, the nation begins to heal too.
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