Salihu Yuguda Zaheed, an Assistant Director at the Pension and Welfare at Sabon Gari Local Government and a civil servant with the Kaduna State Government, spends his own salary and coordinates a youth-led initiative to bathe, feed, and care for individuals living with mental illness on the streets of Kaduna.
Street-Level Care in Kaduna
Zaheed operates as the Coordinator of Hope for the Mentally Ill Persons, an initiative dedicated to locating and assisting vulnerable individuals across different parts of Kaduna, including Kawo. Zaheed and his network of supporters provide basic hygiene assistance by bathing individuals, supplying clean clothes, shaving hair, providing food, and distributing hygiene items such as dental materials, masks, and hand gloves.
The grassroots operation expanded organically when Zaheed encountered a group of young men who washed cars for a living at Kawo Central Garage. When work was slow, these young workers would approach individuals living with mental illness on the streets, bring them to a washing point, and contribute between 20 and 50 naira each from their earnings to buy blades and cleaning materials.
“I met some boys who washed cars for a fee at Kawo Central Garage. When there were no cars to wash, they would move to the streets,” Zaheed stated. “Instead of being idle, they would go to the streets, pick up a mentally ill person and bring them to the washing point. They would contribute N20 or N50 each to buy blades and other materials for the exercise. When I saw what they were doing, I asked to join them.”
Treatment costs exceed Zaheed's salary
Zaheed finances a portion of the outreach using his salary as a local government civil servant and provides small financial tokens to the assisting youths for their upkeep. While the initiative successfully manages immediate hygiene and nutritional needs, comprehensive medical care remains financially out of reach.
“Some of them tell us their stories, and from those stories, we realise that they can recover with proper treatment,” Zaheed explained. “But the cost of treatment is beyond what I can afford. Most times, it’s five or even ten times more than my salary. So, we can’t afford to take them to the mental health facility. This is why individuals and the government need to come in and support their medication and treatment.”
Logistical and jurisdictional hurdles also restrict the NGO’s capacity for long-term rehabilitation. Zaheed noted that volunteers have encountered individuals whose families were traced to distant states including Akwa Ibom, Oyo, and Gombe. “As an NGO, we can’t repatriate them because we don’t have the authority or resources to carry out such,” he stated. “That is something only the government can do.”
Zaheed calls for government support systems
Zaheed attributes his commitment to community service to the values instilled by his parents during his childhood, combined with lessons from a university lecturer who emphasized giving back to society. Rather than waiting for a formal organization or government agency to provide funding, he utilizes his personal resources and relationships to sustain the outreach.
The initiative issues an ongoing appeal for broader societal involvement. Zaheed calls on the government to establish appropriate support systems, medical facilities, and repatriation frameworks for the care, treatment, and reintegration of people living with mental illness. He also urges families to avoid abandoning relatives who develop mental health conditions, emphasizing that affected individuals require dignity, care, and compassion.
Questions About Street-Level Mental Health Care in Kaduna
How is the street-level mental health initiative funded?
The outreach is funded primarily through Salihu Yuguda Zaheed’s personal salary as a local government civil servant, alongside small monetary contributions from young car washers and local well-wishers in Kaduna.
What specific services do Zaheed and the volunteers provide?
Volunteers locate individuals living with mental illness on the streets, bathe them, shave their hair, provide clean clothing, distribute food, and supply hygiene items such as dental materials, face masks, and hand gloves.
Why can’t the initiative provide full medical treatment or repatriation?
Comprehensive psychiatric treatment costs five to ten times Zaheed’s salary, making clinical care unaffordable for the NGO. The organization also lacks the legal authority and financial resources required to repatriate patients whose families live in distant states like Akwa Ibom, Oyo, and Gombe.
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