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Our Purpose

Who we are

REPSSI Alliance is REPSSI's European association, established in Switzerland.

Our purpose is to amplify REPSSI's work with European partners. For 25 years REPSSI has worked directly in the mental health and psychosocial support of children, adolescents, and youth across East and Southern Africa. That work holds deep practical knowledge, and there is real interest in Europe among funders, researchers, and institutions who want to understand what supports young people well.

REPSSI Alliance holds that African-led interventions have innovative approaches to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that can inform global conversations and solutions towards improved care for the world's children, adolescents, and youth.

Young people, many in REPSSI T-shirts, sit along a long table with coloured paper and water bottles, listening during a workshop
The young people at the heart of REPSSI's work. We bring their knowledge and practice to Europe, to share, to learn, and to build relationships that strengthen it worldwide.

Our mandate

REPSSI Alliance was established to fulfil four interrelated roles:

  • A trusted European voice

    We represent African-led work in the mental health of children and young people within European research, policy, and philanthropic conversations, and make the case for its place and value within this international community.

  • Knowledge exchange

    We connect REPSSI's evidence and practice with institutions in Europe working on the same questions, translate what REPSSI has learned into a form these audiences can use, and carry European thinking back in return.

  • Partnership building

    We form long-term relationships with funders, researchers, and organisations whose work aligns with REPSSI's, on terms that strengthen the work in a mutually beneficial manner.

  • Resourcing the work

    We help secure the partnerships and support that allow REPSSI's work to grow and reach further, built around shared goals and what each partner is able to contribute.

Across all four, the REPSSI Alliance works to ensure that African-led expertise in MHPSS is heard, valued, and resourced as a full contributor to the global conversation.

Why Switzerland

Switzerland sits at a meeting point for global health, research, and philanthropy, and offers neutral ground for the conversations we want to have. Being based here places the REPSSI Alliance close to many of the partners and institutions whose work connects with REPSSI's own.

How we are set up

REPSSI Alliance is an association established under Swiss law, governed by a board with experience across philanthropy, mental health, and African-led development.