Presented by Fierce Philanthropy — What if the future of mental health didn’t depend on more doctors—but on empowering everyday people to care for each other?

In this episode, Tom Osborn, founder and CEO of Shamiri, joins host Todd Manwaring to share how his organization is transforming mental health care in Kenya and across Africa. With an innovative model that trains near-peer counselors to deliver school-based, evidence-backed group sessions, Shamiri is reaching hundreds of thousands of students for just $7 each per year.

Instead of relying on expensive or hard to access specialists, Shamiri is building a scalable, triaged system—backed by RCTs and real-time data—that works in low-resource settings, removes stigma, and delivers results.

You’ll also learn:

• How Shamiri meets youth where they are—starting in schools, not clinics
• Why peer-led mental health sessions outperform traditional models in scalability and access
• How rigorous research and rapid iteration power Shamiri’s approach to delivering real change
• What it means to build infrastructure for lasting impact—and why governments are key to scaling

Links from this episode:

• Support Shamiri and their mission: https://shamiri.co/get-involved
• Learn more about DAFs and how to make giving easier: https://www.uicharitable.org/
• Find other high impact organizations around the world: https://www.fiercephilanthropy.org/vetted-organizations/