Supporting mental health in Rwanda — an innovative digital service helping people with depression through guided online behavioural activation, one action at a time.
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About the Intervention
Act and Feel is a digital mental health intervention based on Behavioural Activation (BA) therapy. It is guided by trained lay counsellors — such as community health workers, cybercafé employees, or hairdressers — and supervised by clinical psychologists.
Rooted in evidence-based psychology and adapted for Rwanda's unique cultural and digital landscape, this intervention empowers individuals to reclaim emotional well-being, one action at a time.
A trained supervisor will contact each participant by phone weekly to provide guidance and ensure they fully understand the programme content.
How to Take Part
Lead Researcher
Theogene is a PhD student in the Department of Psychiatry at the Amsterdam University Medical Center, Netherlands. His research focuses on the use of technology in treating specific mental health conditions, such as depression, in Rwanda.
He also examines how technology can be used to deliver mental health services in developing countries, particularly across Africa.
Theogene's research is funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie GROW COFUND Programme, funded by the European Union. He previously worked at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda, carrying out research on the USAID "Gikuriro Kuri Bose" programme for Inclusive Nutrition and Early Childhood Development (INECD).
In 2023, Theogene received the Merck Foundation's "Best Young African Researcher Award", recognising excellence in African public health research.
Researcher Team
Senior Researcher in the Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC & Urban Mental Health, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mental Health Division Manager, Rwanda Biomedical Center; Ministry of Health & Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda
Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, licensed clinical psychologist, Amsterdam UMC & Centre for Urban Mental Health, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
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