World Mental Health Day: Nobubele’s Story

Poor mental health is the most critical health issue facing adolescents globally, with one in four young people experiencing a mental health condition. In Zimbabwe, mental health problems among children and adolescents are rarely acknowledged, underreported, and remain stigmatized, according to UNICEF.

In Zimbabwe and across the globe, the consequences of failing to address adolescent mental health extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting individuals’ opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.

Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is working to change the game in adolescent mental health and ensure every young person has the tools they need to thrive.

GRS’s MindSKILLZ program is a sport-based program that uses positive and strength-based approaches to mental health, focusing on reinforcing and enhancing adolescents’ strengths and skills to empower them to cope with life’s stresses. Through MindSKILLZ, GRS is working to promote positive mental health and well-being amongst young people to equip them with the knowledge and skills to live healthier and productive lives.

In Zimbabwe, GRS has partnered with Pamumvuri PVO, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Ministry of Health to deliver MindSKILLZ sessions to 10-19 year olds in schools and in the community.

The first cohort of the 12-session program in Zimbabwe graduated in July 2024, and among them was 17-year-old Nobubele Hobane, a Lower Six (Advanced Level) student at Magwegwe High School in Bulawayo.

“My community is facing a mental health crisis among its youth,” Nobubele said. “I’ve witnessed boys spending their days idle in the streets, abusing substances, and they are fast losing hope. Girls are pressured into early dating and become pregnant, leading to depression, and we judge and label them without understanding their struggles.”

Participating in MindSKILLZ changed Nobubele’s perceptions about mental health and gender norms, and also connected her with a psychologist, which she credits for boosting her self-confidence and managing her anger. Despite the challenges she and other young people in her community face, Nobubele is now hopeful after going through the MindSKILLZ sessions and graduating from the program, which she called a “life-changing experience.”

“MindSKILLZ was unlike anything we had experienced before,” she reflected. “The energizers were fun, we played lots of games, and we found ourselves enjoying the program more and more. We learned valuable lessons about mental health, self-control, and authenticity.”

Nobubele said the MindSKILLZ activities involving breathing exercises and learning to identify and cope with personal triggers that can cause emotions such as stress and anger were crucial in helping her learn to manage her emotions and actions.

“I am someone with anger issues. I didn’t know how to solve this problem, but now I can confidently say that I have the power to control my emotions, no matter the situation, and it’s all because of MindSKILLZ,” Nobubele said. “I now use the breathing exercises I learned to control my anger, and I also think of the consequences before I do or say something I know I’ll regret. I am now able to express myself about what I don’t like when someone offends me to avoid confrontation. It feels so good to have regained my self-control.”

The program also influenced Nobubele’s understanding of gender roles and dispelled harmful myths about mental health, such as the notion that men shouldn’t cry. “I grew up believing that a man is not supposed to cry. A man is supposed to be strong, and crying is a sign of weakness,” she said. “I believed that to be true, but now I realize that it’s okay for a man to cry. Crying is a coping strategy to a mental health crisis. If we as girls cry, why not boys?”

Nobubele was also connected to see a psychologist through the program’s referral pathway, which utilizes the WHO-5 index. Seeing a psychologist had a profound impact on her life, Nobubele says.

“I want to be influential in my community and change another child’s life, the same way MindSKILLZ changed my life.”

“I was fortunate enough to see a psychologist through the program, and I wish I had access to this knowledge and support earlier in my life,” she said. “I have been discouraged a lot in my life, and sometimes I would wake up feeling like my goals are unattainable. But seeing the psychologist boosted my self-confidence. Now I have hope.”

MindSKILLZ changed Nobubele’s life for the better, and she believes it can do the same for others.

“I have realized that I am the driver of my destiny. I want to do something that will make my family proud,” she said. “I want to be influential in my community and change another child’s life, the same way MindSKILLZ changed my life. One step at a time, my community will get better.”