Walking beside youth: a nurse’s calling to mental health

This October, as the world marks Mental Health Month, we turn the spotlight on one of Young Africa’s wellness nurses in Zimbabwe, Privilege Chamisa. For her, wellness nursing is more than a career,  it is a calling.

“In a world that rushes to treat symptoms, I felt a deeper pull to understand the whole person,” she shares. “Healing requires more than medicine. It requires compassion, connection, and care that reaches beyond the surface.”

Every day, she sits with young people who carry invisible burdens. Some wrestle with unemployment, others with trauma, anxiety, or substance abuse. Her work is about more than treatment, it is about reminding each young person that they are not broken, but becoming.

Young Africa centres equip youth with vocational training and entrepreneurship skills. But the nurse stresses that without mental health support, training alone can fall short.

“Many young people face economic hardships that create stress, anxiety, and hopelessness. Others come from trauma. Without support, they risk dropping out, turning to harmful coping mechanisms like substance abuse. With support, they find resilience, focus, and confidence to complete their training and build their futures.”

Through counselling, group discussions, and peer-led support, young people are finding strength not just in skills, but in each other.

Peer supporters, young people trained to walk alongside their peers, are at the heart of this work.

“They build trust faster than I can. They carry lived experience, they echo my teachings, and they extend my reach. Together, we form a powerful alliance that transforms lives from the inside out.”

Young Africa’s wellness spaces are now active in Shamva, Mbire, Glenview, Kuwadzana, Epworth, and Chitungwiza, making support accessible to more youth than ever before.

The nurse recalls one student, Takudzwa, who first arrived withdrawn and struggling with substance abuse.

“His shoulders were slumped, his eyes heavy with pain. At first, he wasn’t looking for help, just escaping. But week after week, he returned. Slowly, the walls began to fall.”

With counselling and support from peer supporters, Takudzwa found healing. He joined group discussions, discovered he wasn’t alone, and began to rebuild his confidence. Today, he is the student president at Young Africa, leading with courage and advocating for mental health.

“He no longer stands as a victim of his past, but as a champion. This is the power of showing up for young people.”Despite the hardships she witnesses, the nurse holds firm to hope.

“What gives me hope is seeing youth break the silence, ask for help, and show up for one another. Our communities are beginning to recognise that mental health is not a luxury, but a necessity. Yes, the challenges are real. But so is resilience.”

As Young Africa expands its wellness spaces, the message is clear: mental health is the foundation on which skills, dreams, and futures are built.