Highway Of The Future Has Become The Nightmare Of Today.
160,000 cars a day travel this road.
Five years ago, this highway looked much like the picture you see before clicking on this post. Open and free, today the highway of the future brings a nightmarish standstill on a regular occurrence. A few weeks ago, the road stood still. Not from a traffic jam, but from a youth who decided to end his life by the flyover shown below.
I have driven on this road hundreds, if not thousands of times, over the course of six years. Shaé and I were coming home from having lunch with friends and noticed the red dots of taillights ahead. Usually, I think it is nothing more than a stalled car or minor accident slowing all of us down to remind us to be more vigilant.
Today was different, my eyes quickly looked at the flyover and directly below to the fringe of a police officer's bright yellow coat. A sickening feeling emerged in my stomach as I knew this moment was not going to remind us to slow down. It was going to show us the harsh reality of the world around us.
After minutes of slowly maneuvering into a lane that will guide our car out of the way, my fears were confirmed. A young male made the decision to end his life. Time froze for a brief moment and my thoughts become consumed by so many things.
The ride home was quiet with moments of slight chit-chat, but nothing could remove one thought from my mind.
Why did someone feel like they didn't have someone to talk to? Were they told no we can't help you? Could they not afford the counseling? Was there anyone that had offered to listen?
These types of questions continue to run through my mind...
Suicide, and suicidal thoughts, are reaching levels so high that the Task Force for Mental Health has asked for this to be listed as an epidemic in Kenya. Kutoa Project is a place for those that are experiencing these darkest moments to have a chance to be told "YES we are here to listen and to walk with you during this time in their life." A majority of the services in Kenya are not affordable for those 18-25.
The pandemic has risen unemployment to higher than 60% in some instances for this demographic. On average, counseling appointments cost up to $100 a session in Nairobi.
How can someone with an average monthly salary of $120 afford to seek the help they need? Help us help those that feel they can't afford to be heard, helped, and loved. We keep our 1-hour sessions affordable so that we do not have to say no.
This is your chance to help us continue to say YES!
Help us provide counseling for individuals so they can walk over that bridge and on to a new day.
I don't want to forget about the young man on January 24th and not do our best to empower our team to make sure we reach those who are facing the same thoughts.
Many Blessings,
Jason Brown