19/08/2026
Why does the campaign begin with sensitization?
Because in most rural communities across Sub-Saharan Africa, dementia is apparently invisible. Not because it is rare, but because no one has given it a name, explained what it looks like, or made it safe to discuss openly.
Families watch a parent forget conversations, get lost walking familiar roads, or become someone they no longer quite recognize. Without a framework for understanding what is happening, they reach for the explanations closest to hand spiritual attack, old age, family curse or witchcraft.
None of these frameworks lead to a health facility. None of them lead to proper assessment. None of them result in the care that person deserves.
Sensitization changes the story.
SSABHI is working directly with communities through research, engagement with traditional leaders, community sensitization, and education of health workers, to introduce accurate, accessible, culturally grounded information about dementia and brain health.
When people understand what they are seeing, they seek help faster. Stigma eases. Families feel less alone. And the path from recognition to care becomes shorter and clearer.
