Volunteer barbers bring free grooming sessions to patients at Kenya's largest mental health hospital

At Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Nairobi, patients line up to take turns in a barber's chair as two visiting volunteers unpack their equipment and excitement spreads through the ward. The free grooming sessions are organized monthly by Uniquely Gifted, a community-based organization founded by Sheila Lugaliki.

Lugaliki said her own time as a patient in a psychiatric ward motivated her to launch the initiative. "You find someone has been admitted for six months and yet no one has groomed their hair. How they look really does not reflect how they are feeling," she told the Associated Press. She said she hopes the haircuts restore dignity, boost confidence, and remind patients they are valued rather than "neglected."

Healthcare staff at Mathari said personal grooming is an aspect of recovery that is often overlooked. Psychiatric nurse Titus Enko said grooming enhances patients' self-esteem and contributes to overall well-being. "More often we only think about medication, psychotherapy, and we tend to overlook the other part, which is the personal grooming," he said, noting that neglect of hygiene and dress can be an indicator of a patient's mental state.