Meet the Woman Giving Mental Health a Voice in Nigeria

When Hauwa Ojeifo first started speaking about her experiences with bipolar disorder and depression on her blog She Writes Woman, it wasn’t intended to be anything more than an outlet for her mental health. A survivor of sexual and domestic abuse, Ojeifo started the She Writes Woman movement in April 2016 after years of extreme mood cycles caused by her bipolar disorder led to a near suicide attempt. 

Four years later, She Writes Woman has grown into a woman-led organisation helping to give mental health a voice in Nigeria, where there is still a lot of stigma for seeking help for and talking about mental health.

Now, after years of hard work and several groundbreaking achievements – in February 2020, Ojeifo became the first woman and person to testify before the Nigerian parliament on the rights of people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities in the country’s bid to pass its first mental health law – Ojeifo has another accolade to add to her belt: a Changemaker Award.