A Kenyan activist made history in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed awarded him in recognition of his contribution to mental health.
President Zayed presented the Waterfalls Global Award to an overwhelmed Iregi Mwenja.
The recipient revealed that a friend and colleague nominated him for this award after he worked with COVID frontline workers during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
He led a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health experts who went across Kenya providing mental health support to medics working in Covid-19 isolation hospitals as well as quarantine units within prisons.
"I want to acknowledge that this award, even though bearing my name, was not a singular effort of a superhero.
"It was a concerted effort of my colleagues at PDO and our local partner Arcadian Counselling Centre. In addition, these Covid intervention efforts would not have been possible without the generous donations from our partner Ember, the Altro Foundation, and the Segal Family Foundation," Mwenja stated.
"As a neurodiverse global mental health champion, I am honoured to have been hosted by the UAE President at the Al Shiyite Palace to receive the Award," he added while thanking the UAE President for the recognition.
Mwenja is the founder of Psychiatric Disability Organization (PDO Kenya) a community-based mental health organization in Nakuru, Kenya.
The Waterfalls Global Award is a global initiative launched to improve the capabilities of medical professionals around the world and honours healthcare workers and organisations who faced frontline hardships.
The Award was launched by the UAE in November 2021 in implementation of the directives of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in what is considered one of the country’s global contributions to honouring front liners all over the world in appreciation of their vital role, humanitarian services and sacrifices for the sake of protecting their communities and their safety, especially during the pandemic.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated the winners of the award, including frontline doctors, nurses, the families of those who sacrificed their lives while fulfilling humanitarian tasks, and the award's staff.
Its organisers stated that 300 participants from around the world were nominated for the award, 78 were shortlisted and only 15 won it in this year's edition.
