Vianne Tuyisenge, a former Rwandan refugee, described a life shaped by persistent hardship.  “My life has been full of difficulties and challenges, but being here has shown me that I can go out there and make a difference not just for myself, but for others like me.”

Joseph Kasapo spoke of what the training had unlocked, “I now know how I can support the people around me.”

The Youth Mental Health and NCD Prevention Champion Platform, hosted under the Health for Life Project that aims to strengthen youth-led action to prevent mental health conditions and non-communicable diseases by promoting awareness, early intervention and healthier lifestyles. Champions are learning to recognize early signs of distress, challenge harmful myths, promote healthier lifestyles and guide friends towards professional help. Because the first person someone opens to is rarely a doctor. But a friend.

Ministry of Health National Mental Health Coordinator, Dr. Francisca Bwalya, puts it plainly, that “Mental health challenges among young people are rising, driven by social, economic and behavioural pressures. Today's youth face immense pressure, not only to succeed but to appear successful," she explains.

Dr Bwalya said the need to fit in, meet expectations and project a curated lifestyle has left many feeling overwhelmed and that peer influence and constant comparison make it hard for young people to grow at their own pace. She noted that “the pressure to achieve quickly and visibly often leads to stress, anxiety, and inadequacy”. 

 She further highlighted the fact that substance and alcohol use has emerged as a major driver of mental health struggles and that these habits, often used as coping mechanisms, instead deepen emotional pain and increase the risk of mental health conditions.  By strengthening peer networks, promoting awareness, and addressing root causes like substance use and social pressure, she believes Zambia can make real strides in youth mental health.

Over the three days training period, the champions built a practical toolkit. From the Ministry of Health, they learned how to distinguish mental health from mental illness, spotting early warning signs and symptoms before a crisis deepens. They rehearsed safe response protocols for moments of acute distress, including suicide risk awareness because knowing what to say and when to act can save a life. They explored substance use disorders categories, patterns and why young people are especially vulnerable. They examined how different substances affect behaviour and presentation, then moved upstream to prevention peer engagement, community dialogue and behaviour change. 

Advocacy skills came next on how to message responsibly, with cultural sensitivity and without causing harm. Safeguarding, PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), and ethical engagement grounded everything in trust. Then came the different types of NCS, their burden and the youth-relevant risk factors that fuel them. Lifestyle modification and preventive behaviour change offered a way forward. 

Participants clarified their own ethics and code of conduct role, responsibilities and honest limits as champions, not clinicians. Volunteerism, leadership, and community accountability tied purpose to practice. They discussed communication protocols, social media use and responsible brand representation because how they show up online matters. Finally, they learned the most critical skill of all, how to refer and link peers to real mental health, substance use and NCD services when a situation exceeds their reach.

In Zambia, stigma still runs deep. Too many young people have been made to feel weak, strange or broken simply for struggling, but the voices emerging from this training are rewriting that script.

“If you feel like you are weak because of what you’re going through,” Victoria Kasonkomona said, “I want to tell you, you are not weak.” 

Mental health challenges don’t exist in a vacuum. They intersect with rising non-communicable diseases fuelled by substance use, changing diets and shifting lifestyles. The need for early, community-based intervention has never been more urgent.

Across Lusaka, the Mental Health Champions are heading home with a renewed sense of purpose. They are starting conversations where there was once silence, offering support where there was none. Listening without judgment, because sometimes the most powerful intervention isn’t expertise.