We are a youth-led organization transforming mental health, empowering young people, and creating resilient communities across Rwanda.
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Healing Hearts Initiative (HHI) is a youth-focused mental health and psychosocial support initiative founded in Rwanda. We bring together young people, volunteers, mental health professionals, and community partners who believe that every young person deserves a supportive environment to grow and thrive.
Our work is youth-centered, inclusive, community-based, and informed by both research and professional guidance. We combine peer support, safe spaces, community engagement, and collaboration with professionals to make mental health support more accessible to young people and their families.
We are a growing community of people who believe in listening, supporting, learning, and healing together.
Improving emotional wellbeing.
Empowering future leaders.
Creating lasting change.
Developing sustainable solutions.
Healing Hearts Initiative (HHI) was founded in May 2025 by Diane NYIRARUKUNDO, with a vision to support young people's mental and emotional well-being.
Healing Hearts Initiative (HHI) was founded by Diane NYIRARUKUNDO, driven by a vision to support young people's mental and emotional well-being and create spaces where they can feel safe, supported, and empowered.
In October 2025, Prosper MAZIMPAKA joined HHI as Co-Founder. This marked an important step in strengthening our leadership and advancing our commitment to youth mental health and emotional well-being.
As HHI continued to grow, we welcomed more people into our Executive Committee, bringing together different skills, experiences, and strengths to guide our activities and advance our mission.
In 2026, we established an Advisory Board of mental health professionals who provide mentorship, guidance, and expertise to help strengthen our work and support our mission.
Today, HHI has grown to include digital and
physical safe spaces, dedicated volunteers,
and professionals we collaborate with to
support our mission.
So far, we have reached more than 50,000
young people, 50 communities, and 50 Rwandan
families. We believe supporting young people
also means supporting the families around
them, especially their parents, who play an
important role in their well-being.
We are grateful for the growing impact we
are making in the community and remain
committed to creating spaces where every
young person feels safe, supported, and
empowered to heal, thrive, and seek help
when needed.
Our mission, vision and values guide every decision, every partnership, and every life we strive to transform.
To promote mental and emotional well-being among young people by creating safe spaces, breaking stigma, empowering youth, connecting them to support, and conducting research.
A community where mental health is prioritized and every young person feels safe, supported, empowered to heal, thrive, and seek help when needed.
Many young people struggle with stigma, limited access to reliable mental health information, unhealthy coping, and delays in getting the support they need. Many also lack safe spaces where they can openly express themselves without judgment.
Healing Hearts Initiative exists to change this. We create safe and inclusive spaces where young people can express themselves, learn healthy coping strategies, access accurate mental health information, and feel safe seeking support. We break the stigma around mental health and connect young people to appropriate help before their struggles become crises.
"Mental health is not a privilege. It is a foundation for a healthy life."Join Our Mission
Young people experience mental health challenges during their lives.
Timely intervention improves wellbeing, resilience, and future opportunities.
Strong communities help young people thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.
Our work follows a simple but powerful process that transforms awareness into sustainable community impact.
We engage communities, schools and young people to understand their challenges and identify priority mental health needs.
Through workshops, campaigns and peer education, we build knowledge, resilience and life skills.
Together with partners and volunteers, we deliver programs that strengthen psychosocial wellbeing.
We evaluate every initiative, learn from results, and continuously improve our programs for greater community impact.
Every workshop, partnership and community initiative contributes to building healthier, stronger and more resilient young people.
Youth Reached
Schools Engaged
Community Partners
Active Volunteers
Behind every initiative is a passionate team committed to empowering young people, promoting mental wellbeing, and creating sustainable community impact.
Provides strategic leadership and guides the organization's vision toward sustainable impact.
Supports organizational leadership, partnerships and youth development initiatives.
leads the advisory board and provides strategic advice to the Founder/Executive Director.
provide specialized knowledge, connections, recommendations, and expertise.
We collaborate with organizations, schools, institutions, healthcare providers, community leaders and development partners who share our commitment to improving the wellbeing of young people.
Together we can expand opportunities, strengthen communities, and improve mental wellbeing for young people across Rwanda.
Find answers to common questions about mental health, emotional well-being, and seeking professional support.
Mental health is about how we think, feel, behave, relate to others, and cope with life. Just like physical health, mental health can be good or poor, and everyone has mental health—not only people with mental disorders.
A mental health problem can be a period of emotional or psychological difficulty, such as prolonged stress, grief, or anxiety. A mental disorder is a clinically recognized condition involving significant changes in thoughts, emotions, behavior, or functioning that may require professional assessment and treatment. Not every mental health problem is a mental disorder.
No. You don't have to wait until you are breaking to ask for help. Getting support early can prevent difficulties from becoming more serious and can help you develop healthy ways of coping.
No. Seeking help means you recognize that something is affecting your well-being and you want to take care of yourself. We seek doctors for physical health; mental health professionals help us understand and care for our psychological well-being.
Consider seeking help when emotional or behavioral difficulties persist, become difficult to manage, interfere with school, work, relationships, sleep, or daily life, or cause significant distress. You do not need to diagnose yourself before reaching out.
We'd love to hear from you. Reach out and our team will respond as soon as possible.
Contact UsEvery contribution, partnership, and act of kindness helps create opportunities for young people to heal, grow, and become leaders in their communities.
