Our Story
18 years of refusing to be silent.
From a small team in Lagos in 2007 to a nationally recognised movement. This is how the journey unfolded.
Our Story
18 years of refusing to be silent.
From a small team in Lagos in 2007 to a nationally recognised movement. This is how the journey unfolded.
Where it all began
A small team in Lagos decided Nigeria could no longer afford its silence on mental health. That decision became the Mental Health Foundation of Nigeria.

Taking it to the streets
The first World Mental Health Day under MHFN. The conversation moved from conference rooms into communities, hospitals, and public spaces across Lagos.

Government takes notice
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola addressed the 2011 World Mental Health Day event - official recognition that our advocacy was being heard.

Building the framework
Partnerships deepened with international bodies and government health ministries. By 2013 MHFN had become a credible stakeholder at the national table.

Schools, hospitals, communities
The YES4MentalHealth initiative launched. School outreach expanded across Lagos and into Benin City, with formal conferences at LUTH.

A movement grows nationwide
From Lagos to Benin City and beyond - school programs, care projects, media campaigns, and sustained policy engagement. 18 years in, the work continues.

18 Years of Action
On the ground, in the rooms that matter.
From school halls in Yaba to government chambers in Abuja, from public marches to hospital conferences. Wherever the conversation needed to happen, MHFN showed up.
Governor Fashola addresses WMHDay 2011
The MHFN volunteer team
2013 Lagos WMHDay event
School outreach - Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls School
2016 WMHDay march - Yaba
2012: Making the Connection workshop
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