User:Amanda Akaliza/sandbox

Amanda Akaliza Amanda Akaliza (born 09/14/1996)is 1st runner-up of Miss Rwanda 2021 and the Co-founder and President of HUMEKA organization, located in Rwanda. An organization whose mission is to support public school students in receiving free mental health care, as well as giving free interpersonal skill training to university students looking to venture into the field.

Early life and Education
Amanda Akaliza was born on 09/14/1996, to parents Jimmy Hodari and Christine Umutoni, in Kampala, Uganda. She was raised in five different countries, Uganda, Rwanda, Belgium, Zimbabwe, and the US, before settling back in her homeland, Rwanda, in Jan 2020. Growing up in multiple cultures gave her great insight into how the world works. Based on her worldly experience she chose to pursue International relations at Wagner University. After college, however, she decided to explore her multifaceted persona and ventured into the creative industry. She modeled briefly in New York with APM models and did theater with a local theater group in Rwanda, Mashirika. In the midst of this journey, she also went on to run for Miss Rwanda 2021, where she won the title of 1st runner-up. This experience gave her a platform to advocate for mental health.

Growing up she was not taught about mental health and its importance, this is not uncommon among African youth. Which is why her depression and anxiety went undiagnosed for years. It wasn't until she went into deep research to try to understand herself that she realized she may need help. After years of struggling she finally gained the courage to speak up about her issues and was given the right support. From then on, she has used her platform to advocate for mental health by speaking in various panel discussions, using her media presence to advocate for mental health, has given interviews, and has now built her own NGO, HUMEKA, located in Rwanda.