By Lawrence Williams
Three years ago, Abdul Karim Sesay was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. He dropped out of school due to worsening of the situation which had already taken a toll on his entire well-being, but he refused to let it dictate his future.
Sesay was sharing his story with an audience on Friday during the 6th local edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) pitch night in Freetown. He was among the top five grand finalists for the Orange Innovation Awards.
“I was forced to drop out of school as my mental health deteriorated,” he said.
The emotional strain was immense. He contemplated suicide, but ultimately decided against it.
“Suicidal thoughts plagued my mind countless times. I wanted to end the suffering but I couldn’t. I suddenly found the strength to persevere,” said Sesay.
With time Sesay began to heal, and afterwards resolved not to let this experience hold him back.
He then started to think of how to help others navigate through the struggles he had encountered; how to help them overcome the challenges of mental disorder; and how to change the overall narrative of mental health issues in Sierra Leone.
Sesay said he once envisioned a community where mental health issues are openly discussed and victims have access to tailored therapeutic interventions.
That vision has today become a reality with the birth of Emotions, a mobile application that offers personalised curative therapeutic solutions to mental health disorders. Emotions allows users to interact, share their stories, participate in cognitive and therapeutic exercises, connect with psychiatrist specialists, play mental health games, listen to music, and watch movies.
Music had once served as a source of comfort and healing for Sesay.
During the pitch night, the hall was electrified with emotions. The audience was held spellbound for the most part as Sesay pitched his tech solution. The judges were very much convinced and awarded him the OSVP grand prize of NLe200,000 (almost $9,000).
Sesay believes Emotions will be able to address longstanding societal neglect and discrimination against mental health victims and patients alike.
With Emotions, Sesay has now secured a spot to compete in the OSVP international competition taking place later this year.
