CALVINS MODA

Calvins Moda is the founder of Swift Slums Integrators Mathare (SSIM) Foundation, a community-based organization working to rebuild lives in Nairobi’s Mathare informal settlement. SSIM was born out of both crisis and personal experience: after the devastating floods that repeatedly displaced Mathare residents, Calvins himself developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of what he witnessed and lived through. That experience became a turning point — rather than facing it alone, he trained as a mental health lay counsellor, transforming his own recovery into a foundation for community healing.

Calvins is guided by the conviction that climate disasters in Mathare damage not just homes, but minds. “If we do not address mental health, then we cannot truly recover,” he often says — a belief rooted in his own journey as much as in what he has seen in his community. He now uses his lived experience with mental illness as a tool for advocacy, speaking openly about his own recovery to reduce stigma and encourage others, especially men, to seek support.

Under his leadership, SSIM has grown into a multi-pronged initiative combining mental health support with practical livelihoods: urban farming as therapy for displaced youth, a Sunday community kitchen feeding hundreds of children, briquette production as an eco-friendly alternative to charcoal, and structured support groups for young mothers, youth, and the elderly. He also leads JIJUE, a mentorship program for teenagers focused on mental health awareness, peacebuilding, leadership, and sexual and reproductive health rights.

Guided by the philosophy that “a problem shared is a problem half solved,” Calvins continues to build SSIM as a model for community-driven recovery — where healing the land, healing the mind, and healing the people go hand in hand.