Spotlight February 2024: Sista Afya Community Care
By Michelle Lunger
To kick off 2024, in honor of Black History month this February, we are giving the spotlight to the social enterprise, Sista Afya Community Wellness (SACC). “Sista Afya Community Care was founded as a response to the mental health inequity impacting the lives of Black women in Chicago. We found that Black women wanted to receive mental wellness care, but cost was a major barrier. Sista Afya Community Care disrupts mental health inequity by removing cost, centering culture and community in mental wellness care.”
At RTW, we recognize that there are many barriers that prevent those a part of the BIPOC community from receiving the help they need. Some of these barriers include cost, prejudice, racism, stigma, lack-of culturally competent care, and more. So we are proud of Sista Afya’s work to fight these barriers to make mental health care more accessible for Black women!
To do this, SACC provides free, culturally-centered community mental wellness services and resources. Sista Afya’s services include the “Thrive in Therapy” which offers free individual therapy for Black women who are experiencing accessibility barriers to mental health care. Their “Community Care” service includes free workshops, support groups, and wellness classes. Lastly, their “Developing Wellness Warriers” service is a low-cost professional development course that trains organizations in mental first aid.
We fully stand and support the work the SACC is doing to fight the barriers that prevent Black women from receiving the mental health care they need. Just like Sista Afya Community Care, we at RTW believe that community support is essential for those living with mental health conditions to promote “healing, growth, freedom, and self-actualization.” Join us as we support Sister Afya Community Care in their mission to make mental health care more accessible for Black women!
To learn more:
https://www.communitycare.sistaafya.com/
Donate:
https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/sacc-donation-form
Get Support:
https://www.communitycare.sistaafya.com/get-support
Resources:
https://www.sistaafya.com/resources-information
