Self-advocacy with family members

In Form One, Ruth Tengecha almost died by suicide in school. She stayed with her parents for a while then returned to school without professional help. "My parents thought I was throwing tantrums because I did not like the school," she said. She was also bullied at home by a relative which made it harder to manage symptoms.

"I did not speak up at the time because I knew older people should know better. At my age now [21 years], I know that people younger than me could know something that I don't."

Like Ruth, my attempt occurred in high school and I felt a change in environment would help me reset. But it's a teenager's word against well-meaning adults' so here are three things that helped me:

• Making an academic case for the move — with one year to KCSE and teachers on strike, I was behind on the syllabus and a private school would help me catch up.
• School fees — although a private school came with a bigger fee, it would only be one year instead of four school years.
• Bravery — I addressed letters to my caregivers at the time detailing the mental suffering I was experiencing and requesting a dedicated meeting over mid-term. Meanwhile, I packed everything up and would only resume school if we came to an amicable agreement.

I secured the move and excelled in KCSE given my high school journey and in the end, everyone agreed it was the right decision. You may feel young but explore every avenue you think may work in your favor.

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