Khushbu Kotak: advocating for accessible and affordable mental health services

When Khushbu Kotak, a Class of 2021 alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, started Salama Minds with her mother, Nisha Kotak, in November 2020, she was a student with a big idea and a long list of people to call. By 2021, the free counselling service had supported 25 young people. Today, Khushbu’s organisation funds therapy for 80 young people in Kenya aged 11 to 22, regardless of their socio-economic background. 

Working with psychologists and psychiatrists in Kenya, Salama Minds covers the cost of sessions through donations and fundraising. So far, Khushbu and her mother have raised about $5,000. For Khushbu, the work is personal.  

“I have lived experience with mental health, specifically anxiety and depression on occasion,” she said. “I have been to counselling, and it was miraculous. To have someone meet me where I am and guide me through the distortions was amazing. And that gave rise to Salama Minds.” 

Growth has not come without challenges. Persuading families is often the hardest part. Anyone under 18 needs a parent's consent, and in one case, a parent held back for fear their child would be called "mad".  

"With our upbringing in Kenya, many parents don't believe that young people can suffer from mental illness," Khushbu said. “To help, the team has held meetings with parents so that families can better understand mental health and support their children.” 

Khushbu says her confidence to keep going began at the Academy in Mombasa. "What the Academy gave me, more than anything, was the space to dream," she said. "You have an idea, and you are fully supported in it. It teaches you to take your own ideas seriously, before the world does." 

Since leaving Mombasa, she has graduated with honours from York University with a Bachelor of Science Honours in psychology. She now works at Stella's Place, a mental health centre in Toronto, Canada, where she facilitates therapy groups for people living with social anxiety and trauma. She plans to begin a master's degree soon and still runs Salama Minds from Canada, working across time zones with the team in Kenya. In the future, Khushbu hopes to use the knowledge she’s gained and return to the Academy as a teacher. 

The impact of the organisation is clear in the people it has helped so far. One came to Salama Minds withdrawn, carrying a serious illness and a difficult situation at home. After being connected with both a psychologist and a psychiatrist, they began to open up and make friends. "Their healing has been incredible to witness," Khushbu said. 

Over the coming year, Salama Minds hopes to reach another 80 young people. Khushbu’s advice to anyone who needs support is to take the first step, however small. 

"Your feelings are not too big, and you are not too much," she said. "You don't need a diagnosis to deserve support. Being heard doesn't fix everything, but it can be where hope starts." 

Young people seeking support can fill in a confidential questionnaire on the Salama Minds Instagram account. The organisation also welcomes students who want to volunteer their skills. For more information, please email salamaminds@gmail.com.