World Mental Health Day |11 October 2023

Marie-Celine Zialor Minister for Youth, Sports & Family

‘A resilient nation starts with strong, mentally healthy individuals and families’

“Our ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is committed to providing resources, support, and education to empower our families to safeguard their mental health. We understand that a resilient nation starts with strong, mentally healthy individuals and families.

“We would like to take the opportunity on the occasion of World Mental Health Day to support the Ministry of Health in stressing the importance of mental health as part of the overall well-being of families.

“We take the opportunity to urge our population of all ages, all walks of life, to understand the signs and symptoms and to seek help and support for mental wellbeing.

“Together, let us create a society where seeking help for our mental well-being is regarded as a necessity. Recognising that taking care of your mental health is not only a right but a responsibility that we need to take seriously.

“Just as we prioritise our children's physical health, education, and future, we need to also prioritise their mental health, attending to their emotional well-being, providing a nurturing environment, and encouraging open communication.

“There is a strong necessity to take stock and acknowledge our history as a nation, as descendants of slaves, of the intergenerational trauma we have inherited and together as a nation take steps towards national healing.

Healing from the traumas of our slavery heritage will allow our people to heal and better deal with daily life situations, getting to know each other better, creating spaces for each other, living better with each other, leading to peaceful co-existence, more wealth and prosperity for our country and a brighter future for our children the custodian of our beautiful and blessed Seychelles.”

Marie-Celine Zialor

Minister for Youth, Sports & Family