Foundation Calls For Sustained Engagements To Address Men’s Mental Health

The Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation (CALMHAF) has called for continuous, structured engagements to address the rising social and family pressures undermining men’s mental and emotional well-being.

The Founder of the Foundation, Rev. Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, made the appeal in Enugu on Tuesday during a Men’s Safe Space Forum themed “Starting the Conversation That Saved Lives in Enugu.”

Nwachukwu said the forum created a non-judgmental environment where men from diverse backgrounds spoke openly about personal struggles many for the first time.

Discussions centred on the pressures of traditional provider and protector roles, financial distress, sexual health challenges, strained family relationships, conflict resolution, and the emotional toll of daily survival.

He said all participants received free mental health screenings, which revealed undiagnosed anxiety and depression among many of the men.

According to him, the gathering deliberately avoided lectures or stereotypical “man-up” rhetoric, allowing participants to share fears ranging from inability to meet family expectations to long-suppressed marital frustrations and sexual performance difficulties.

Nwachukwu noted that, moved by the experience, participants, many of them community leaders, pledged to replicate smaller safe-space circles in churches, workplaces and neighbourhoods to promote peace and reduce domestic tensions.

Founder of Lead Network Africa, Mr. Chukwuma Okenwa, who commended the initiative, said the forum enabled men to release long-held emotions and adopt healthier coping mechanisms.

Participants, he added, resolved to communicate more openly with their spouses and to model emotional honesty for their sons.

A urologist, Prof. Anselm Obi, urged men to prioritise their physical health, undergo regular check-ups and seek professional attention for sexual health concerns rather than rely on unregulated herbal remedies.

Some participants described the forum as transformative.

Entrepreneur Emeka Nwoke said hearing others share similar struggles helped him realise he was “not alone,” while civil servant Ifeanyi Madu said the session taught him to avoid unhealthy competition and live within his means.

The forum drew entrepreneurs, civil servants, fathers, retired soldiers, clergy and community leaders.