ChezaCheza

Did you know that 1.3 million children in Kenya between 10-19 years old struggle with mental health? ChezaCheza has developed a robust dance therapy curriculum built to improve the mental health and well-being of children.

ChezaCheza is a Kenyan not-for-profit founded in 2018, and we are on a mission to create access to safe spaces for children in marginalised communities where dance supports their mental health and well-being.

Through our therapeutic dance sessions, children experience the joy of dancing while flourishing into young adults with strong minds who show up in life with self-esteem and high self-awareness and approach life’s challenges with responsible actions.

Our Why
Children in marginalised communities live in a chronic environment of stress, with high levels of violence, abuse and adversity.

This is an environment that induces toxic stress, making it difficult for children to regulate their emotions, resulting in impulsive actions and decisions, physical acting out, drug abuse, anxiety, and low self-esteem. ChezaCheza wants to use dance as therapy to combat this.

Community Dance Coaches
We find, train and equip dancers from marginalised communities to become Community-Based Dance Coaches who create safe spaces in their communities and schools.

Through an intensive training program, they gain skills to guide a ChezaCheza session, where they teach children how dance can be a tool for expressing their feelings, releasing stress, and building confidence.

Weekly Dance Sessions
Children receive a child-friendly, fun and culturally appropriate mental health service through weekly therapeutic dance sessions.

Each session incorporates Dance Movement Therapy, Social-Emotional Learning and Mindfulness Meditation.