Who is Kevin Ndirangu?

Hello, My name is Kevin Ndirangu. I’m a native of Kenya but Currently Residing in Northern California; I’m currently a college Student Pursuing a degree in Nursing then Medicine, With Hopes of becoming a Psychiatrist in the future. It is my goal after graduating to become a Psychiatrist serving lower income and underrepresented communities. I am a naturally compassionate person, and because of my lower socio-economic background and life experience, I can relate easily to people who may fear going to see medical professionals whom they perceive as different from them, but whose services they need. I can help bridge that gap, and thereby encourage more people to actually get help that they require in a comforting and non-threatening environment.

Investment in health in Kenya largely focuses on communicable diseases especially HIV and malaria despite the impact of mental health on the population. Only a third of the 75 psychiatrists in the country for a population of 38 million work in the public sector, whilst the rest work only with private patients at a great expense. Kenya has around 500 psychiatric nurses of which only 250 work in mental health. This means that for each district there are only 1 or 2 psychiatric nurses. Therefore, integration of mental health into primary care is essential in Kenya.
      
My Charity of Choice is known as “Basic Needs Kenya”. Basic Needs Kenya began its first pilot project in Nairobi in 2005 and has since initiated mental health programmers in the Central, Eastern and Rift Valley Province including reaching out to specific target groups including nomadic communities, coffee smallholders and vulnerable children and young people in both urban and rural areas. Basic Needs has also supported the formation of numerous self help groups whose members are now active in income generating activities. Basic Needs Kenya is actively involved in developing mental health policy and legislation to influence the development of mental health services at the national level and draws on its young advocates and user groups to inform and guide this engagement with policy makers.