We are making mental health work

Shamiri has built one of the world's most cost-effective care models for youth mental health. Now we're building the systems to scale effective care to the millions of young people who need it.

From Africa, for the world

The world needs youth mental health systems that meets today's needs

Most mental health systems were designed for a world with enough professionals, enough money, and enough infrastructure. That world doesn't exist for the majority of young people — especially in Africa and the Global South. Shamiri was built for the world as it is. We expand the provider pool deliver effective care where young people already are. We build technology that lets governments deliver quality care through their own systems and their own people. And we ground everything in rigorous research — so the model improves as it scales. We're building a care system designed not just to meet the needs of young people, but to reach all of them.

The Challenge

A generation in crisis. A system that doesn't exist.

Young people are facing a mental health crisis. An estimated 250 million are struggling worldwide — and mental health is now the leading cause of disability for ages 10–24. Most will never get any help. Two problems drive this gap: there aren't enough providers, and the systems that exist weren't designed for young people. Without early support, most conditions persist into adulthood — affecting education, employment, relationships, and health for decades.

80%+

The Gap

In low-resource settings, more than 80% of young people who need mental health support will never receive it.

The Shortage

Across most of Africa and the Global South, fewer than 1 mental health professional serves every 100,000 people.

60%

The Cost of Inaction

Without support, 60% of youth mental health conditions persist into adulthood.

What we've built

A care system designed to reach everyone

Shamiri's care model is designed to deliver effective mental health support to young people at scale. Our approach is built on a simple idea: expand who can deliver care beyond scarce professionals, and equip them with tools that work. The result is a system that achieves outcomes comparable to traditional therapy — at a fraction of the cost — and that governments can adopt and run on their own.

A proven care model

Young adult lay professionals deliver brief interventions. Semi professionals recruit, train, and support them. Experts handle complex cases. The right level of care for every level of need.

See the model

Grounded in evidence

Across trials with over 11,500 young people, our model achieves outcomes comparable to expert-delivered therapy — at roughly $7 per person. 80% show meaningful improvement after just four sessions, with benefits that last.

See the evidence

Technology that transfers ownership

Scale happens when partners and governments own the model. shamiriOS manages operations, quality, and reporting. shamiriAI supports training and supervision. Partners and governments can deliver Shamiri-quality care with their own people, through their own systems.

See the tech

Watch the TED Talk

A new way to help young people

In 2021, Tom Osborn shared a vision of rethinking mental health for young people. Since then: 285,000 youth served, 40+ papers published, and a model now transferring to partners and governments.