Our Projects & Impact

Driving Mental Health Innovation Through Lived Experience Leadership

At PDRO Kenya, our work is rooted in action — transforming powerful ideas into real-world impact across Kenya’s mental health landscape. We focus on uplifting youth, championing rights-based care, and integrating lived experience into every layer of advocacy, research, and recovery.

Climate Resilience & Mental Wellness Initiative

10,000+ Trees Planted | Youth-Led Green Therapy Activities

We recognize the healing power of nature. Through our climate resilience initiative, we combine environmental restoration with mental wellness by engaging youth in:

  • Tree planting campaigns

  • Nature walks

  • Community gardening

  • Environmental therapy sessions

This project not only supports ecological restoration but also offers therapeutic benefits through connection with nature.

Community Lay Counselor Training

84 Youth Trained | Locally-Embedded Mental Health Support

We empower young people with lived experience to become mental health advocates and first responders in their communities. Lay counselors are trained in:

  • Basic psychosocial support

  • Crisis response

  • Active listening and referral skills

  • WHO QualityRights principles

They serve as the front line for mental health support at the grassroots level.

Peer Support Group Program

61 Peer Members Engaged | Recovery-Focused Interventions

This project fosters healing through peer-led group therapy, incorporating:

  • Group discussions

  • Creative arts (art, dance, and play therapy)

  • Nature-based therapy

  • Peer mentorship

These safe spaces empower participants to rebuild their lives with confidence and support.

Storytelling for Advocacy

31 Youth Trained in Advocacy Storytelling

We transform personal experiences into advocacy tools through Living Proof Advocacy training. Participants learn to:

  • Share their mental health journey with impact

  • Challenge stigma through public speaking

  • Influence community and policy conversations

Stories shared have reached schools, health forums, national events, and media outlets.

Youth Prevention Education Program

2,467 Adolescents Reached | Mental Health Literacy for Ages 14–19

Lived experience leaders educate high school-aged youth on:

  • Mental health basics

  • Coping strategies & emotional regulation

  • Early signs and intervention pathways

  • Destigmatization through storytelling

Our sessions empower teens to care for their own mental wellness and support peers.

Peer-Led Research Program

Co-Designed Research with Global Partners

We train individuals with lived experience to become Peer Researchers—collaborating with global institutions to center lived voices in mental health science.

Featured Study:

“Understanding the Landscape of Psychological and Social Interventions for Anxiety, Depression, and Psychosis”
Commissioned by Wellcome Trust in collaboration with:
Queen Margaret University • IGHD • CASS • MHPSS.net

QualityRights Youth Training

60 Youth Trained in WHO QualityRights Framework

We promote dignity-based mental health care by equipping youth with knowledge and advocacy skills to:

  • Promote rights-based practices

  • Engage in service delivery transformation

  • Monitor and influence mental health policy

Participants become champions of ethical, inclusive mental health systems in their communities.

Partners & Supporters

We are proud to collaborate with organizations that believe in the power of lived experience and youth-led change: