Ember Mental Health, in partnership with 64 Million Artists, recently facilitated Courageous Change, a three-part online workshop series for 18 team members from LGBTQIA+ community-based mental health organisations across Africa, whose funding and wellbeing have been deeply impacted by global political shifts.  

In a time marked by political, social, and economic uncertainty, many small and medium organisations serving LGBTQIA+ communities across Africa are being asked to do more with less, as we heard while speaking with CBMHIs during Ember’s 2024 Call-Out. 
 
Courageous Change was designed as a reflective, future-focused workshop series to support organisations to pause, reconnect with purpose, explore innovative responses to the pressures they face and facilitate shared learning between organisations working in complex and often hostile environments. 

Why Courageous Change, Why Now? 

This partnership reflects how Ember is exploring new, customised ways to scale support by working with like-minded partners like 64 Million Artists, to respond thoughtfully to the specific contexts and challenges CBMHIs are navigating. For Ember, this programme reflects a growing commitment to designing support that goes beyond funding alone.  

64 Million Artists brings people together to unleash their creativity and use it to forge new connections that mobilise them and their communities to make positive social change.
 
Read more about the work of 64 Million Artists here.

Participating organisations included: Uganda Minority Shelters Consortium (UMSC), Trans Advocacy Organisation Africa, Queer Women Leaders Uganda (QWLU), Segal Family Foundation, Open Hands, Positive Champions Health and Empowerment Initiative (PCHEI), Queer Place, Women’s Advocacy Organisation Africa, and Taala Foundation. We would like to thank them for joining and sharing their challenges openly. Together, they brought diverse lived experiences and perspectives into a shared learning environment. 

We would also like to thank Positive Negatives and Daniel Locke (Visual Note-Taker) for bringing the three-part workshop series to life through their visual storytelling. You can view Daniel's visual booklet of illustrations below. 

What the workshops looked like? 

Across the three workshops, participants explored how to find courage amid uncertainty, identify organisational challenges, strengthen peer connections, and develop creative problem-solving skills. The sessions blended reflective discussion with arts-based activities, including crafting poems from the names of places participants belong to, future-visioning exercises, group storytelling, self-compassion rituals, and the much-loved “Cake of Courage” activity, wherein each participant created their own recipe for resilience. 
 
Here’s a poem shared by a participant in the workshop: 

K.E.N.Y.A 

“Kind people I see all over, 

Energetic they are, and never give up. 

Neat streets you walk about here. 

Youth here, demand for a better change. 

Ambitious population, they can’t be intimidated.” 
 

Reflections from participants:

Across the workshop series, participants reported tangible shifts in confidence, connection, and how they approached personal and professional challenges. Many highlighted the value of peer learning and solidarity, noting that shared experiences fostered problem-solving, strengthened networks, and built confidence during a time of uncertainty. Key outcomes for the participants include: 

Strengthened Personal Resilience and Self-Care : “The programme reminded me that courageous change starts from within.” 
 
Enhanced Self-Awareness, Confidence, and Self-Belief: Participants described increased self-reflection, self-affirmation, and confidence to take courageous steps: “Self-introspection, self-affirmation and believing in possibilities.” 

Expanded creativity and idea generation: “Through the programme, I’ve developed...a deeper understanding of how small, manageable actions can lead to courageous change.” 
 
Improved Leadership and Problem-Solving Skills: “I’ve learned to look at challenges differently, to separate what I can control, influence, or simply acknowledge, which has made my approach to work and teamwork much more focused.” 

As Ember’s philanthropic model continues to evolve, Courageous Change signals the start of exploring partnership-led ways to scale thoughtful, responsive support.