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South African youth turn up the volume on mental health at Radio Workshop.
In South Africa, young people struggling with their mental health face immense challenges. Deep-rooted inequalities, limited resources, and widespread stigma continue to create barriers to accessing the care and support they need. Although the country has the highest number of child and adolescent psychiatry specialists in sub-Saharan Africa, access remains starkly unequal, particularly in rural and geographically isolated communities.
Yet, amid these obstacles, young South Africans are speaking up. With the support of SNF Global Center partner Radio Workshop — an organization that uses audio storytelling to foster youth dialogue, leadership, and community engagement — these stories are creating space for critical conversations. By spotlighting youth voices, Radio Workshop is helping reduce stigma and creating a path for young people to seek out the services they deserve.
At just 17 years old, Nonhlanhla Mashabana is facing one of the biggest challenges of her life: getting into university. A top achiever at her high school, she has spent countless hours studying, hoping to defy the odds in a country where only 12 percent students who start Grade 1 make it to university and even fewer graduate. Growing up in Ezinambeni, an informal settlement in eMalahleni, Nonhlanhla knows firsthand the struggles of navigating an unequal education system. Through she was a national spelling bee champion, she was forced to quit competing to focus on her studies, university applications, and applying for scholarships. During moments of fear and uncertainty, she turns to her secret weapon for comfort, the dictionary.
In “Finding the Right Words,” a three-month audio diary produced by Radio Workshop, she shares an intimate look at the emotional and systemic challenges young South Africans face. As she prepares for the next chapter, her story is a powerful reminder of the resilience and determination needed to push through barriers to pursue a future that often feels just out of reach.
Mental health struggles are still taboo in many parts of South African society, especially when it comes to complex conditions like bipolar disorder. In the Radio Workshop episode “Listen to Me,” Ole shares her deeply personal experience living with bipolar disorder while navigating faith, relationships, a high-pressure work environment, and the social stigma surrounding her condition.
Her friend Sibongile opens up about trying to be a better friend, admitting she had never met anyone diagnosed with bipolar disorder before. For her, the learning process has been as important as the support she offers.
Ole explains the dual realities of bipolar disorder: manic episodes, when she feels euphoric and unstoppable, and depressive episodes, when the weight of anxiety and suicidal thoughts becomes overwhelming. She describes it as “a prison,” a feeling of being trapped inside your own head and unable to fully explain what’s happening.
Growing up in an environment where emotions were supposed to be packed away, Ole was often told to “get over it.” But she’s found ways to cope through therapy, journaling, music, prayer, and reading the Bible. Journaling, she says, is especially powerful as it helps her deal with her emotions. “If I don’t cry, I explode,” she shares.
Even though friends, coworkers, and family may not always understand, opening up has helped. Ole now shares her story more openly, including on social media, to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around bipolar disorder, a condition that affects over half a million South Africans.
“It’s not about being dramatic. It’s about being heard,” she says. “I want others who live with this condition to feel less alone.”
Abigail Maedza is 23 years old, and for as long as she can remember, she’s played the role of caregiver in her home. She works to support both herself and her father, but their relationship is strained, painfully distant despite living under the same roof. They don’t talk about their relationship, why it feels broken, why they seem to live in separate emotional worlds. And yet, Abigail continues to show up. She cooks, she cares, she stays. But her mental health is starting to suffer.
“I don’t want him to show up for me financially. I just want him to see me. To acknowledge me. But it’s like I’m invisible,” Abigail says.
Her name, Abigail, means “father’s joy,” a bitter irony she often reflects on: “It feels like the opposite of joy. It doesn’t make sense.” Her father drinks heavily. And even when he’s sober, they still don’t speak. She suspects something is deeply wrong, something he’s not willing to talk about. She wants to help, if only he’d let her in.
Their history is long and complicated. Her parents divorced when she was in Grade 8, and Abigail chose to stay with her father. Since then, she’s carried the emotional and practical weight of caring for him.
“When he got sick, I cooked for him, made sure he took his medication. No one else was there to help, I had to handle it all on my own,” she says.
There are moments when she questions that choice. She wonders if she should have gone with her mother. But she also knows no one looks out for her dad the way she does. That love creates a tension. She cares deeply for him, but their unresolved relationship is taking a toll on her mental well-being. She often feels like her life is on pause, her goals, her dreams, her independence feel delayed because she must put his needs ahead of her own. And for a long time, she felt she shouldn’t speak up.
“Other people are going through pain too, so I felt like mine didn’t matter. But I’m realizing now that not talking about it is hurting me more than I thought.”
Abigail doesn’t want things to stay the same. She hopes her father will get help. She hopes one day they’ll talk. She hopes he’ll open up. And most importantly, she hopes she’ll be able to live her own life, free from silence, heavy responsibility, and emotional invisibility.
Abigail and Ole’s stories are part of “Listen to Me,” a Radio Workshop episode that turns up the volume on youth mental health in South Africa.
This work is part of our commitment at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute, where we’re working in South Africa in collaboration with local partners to increase access to culturally adapted, evidence-based care. Through youth engagement, mental health literacy, and expert training, we’re helping build a stronger future, one story at a time.
