Sele Max Fuah
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: The Young Ambassadors of Mental Health (YAMH)Liberia
Sele Max Fuah is a generalist practitioner social worker residing in Liberia, West Africa. Sele has a bachelor's degree in social work from Stella Maris University, Mother Patern College of Health Sciences, Liberia and an advanced certificate in sexual reproductive health and rights, Faculty of Social Medicine and Global Health, Sweden. He has over 10 years of experience in social service organizations empowering adolescents from impoverished communities. He served as counselor for Liberia's first post-war premedical camp, CampXsel, where he provided psychosocial support for more than 80 pre-medical and pre-clinical students.
Currently, Sele is the monitor and evaluation assistant and program assistant at Rising Youth Mentorship Initiative supporting a regional project titled: Concerted Action for Zero Tolerance against sexual and gender-based violence in the Man River region through Medica Mondiale, Germany. Sele is the co-founder of Smiling Faces International, a youth-led organization that is empowering youth with access to the tools and resources needed to facilitate sustainable change and civic engagement in Liberia. He is a member of many prestigious alumni associations like the US Exchange Alumni Association and the Global Academy of SRHR.
IVLP Impact Award Project: The Young Ambassadors of Mental Health (YAMH)
The Young Ambassadors of Mental Health Project was a mental health peer educator training and competitive activity designed to create awareness on stigma and discrimination related to mental health in Montserrado, Liberia. The project used creative arts as a tool to inspire 30 high school students to express their thoughts and emotions on the themes: Mental Health is Everybody’s Business and Arts is a Safe Space.
The Young Ambassadors of Mental Health project had two goals:
- Empower 30 high school students with knowledge and skills to disseminate youth-friendly messages on stigma and discrimination and as Young Ambassadors of Mental Health.
- Use creative arts such as drawing, painting, poetry and storytelling as a medium to create awareness on mental health among 1000 students in ten schools within Montserrado County, Liberia.
About 40% of the 4.5 million Liberians have symptoms of mental health illnesses and nearly 70% of women and girls were sexually assaulted during the civil war. The situation is improving with rapid speed, but there are still some difficulties, such as combating the shaming and discrimination against mental illness. At the root of this issue, there is a fundamental lack of knowledge. Most people do not know what mental illness is, where it comes from or what can be done about it. The Ebola epidemic in Liberia compounded with the Coronavirus pandemic has greatly contributed to high levels of stigma and discrimination of mental health illnesses. The Young Ambassador of Mental Health project was designed to bridge the gap and increased access to information on mental health among 1000 students in Liberia.
30 out of 30 students recruited to participate in the project had a first-time experience to freely express their ideas and feelings on mental health in ways that matter to young people. Participants expressed feeling safe and confident in discussing their personal mental health challenges and school-related stresses. The one-month intensive training in mental health peer education equipped participants to carry out effective peer to peer awareness within school settings.
Learn More About the Young Ambassadors of Mental Health: Project Video
"Feeling lonely does not mean you are alone. This project changed my life!" - Project participant
IVLP Exchange Experience
Sele Max was a participant in the IVLP Project Youth and Civic Engagement II, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Mississippi Consortium for International Development.
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually
Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Manchester, NH; Pittsburgh, PA