Check out the illustrations from the workshop series here: 

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. Organisations are navigating a challenging landscape marked by rising inflation, staff burnout and isolation, digital violence, shrinking funding, and increasing homophobia and discrimination.
 
Courageous Change was designed as a reflective, future-focused workshop series to support organisations in pausing, reconnecting with purpose, exploring innovative responses to the pressures they face, and facilitating 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.

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). 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.  

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

"I’ve learned to look at challenges differently, to separate what I can control, influence, or simply acknowledge"

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.
 

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