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A clinician assessing a patient at the Galdogob Mental Health Center

Rajo, the Somali word for hope

Restoring Hope,
with dignity and care.

A Somali-led, UK-registered charity founded in 2020, Rajo runs the Galdogob Mental Health Center in Somalia, turning hope into real care, rehabilitation and community for people living with mental illness, where almost none exists.

Support the center → See our work
75Residential places for patients in need of mental health care
20Local health professionals & staff employed by Rajo
58patients reached through our outreach in 2025

“1 in 3 Somalis has been affected by some kind of mental illness.”

WHO, A Situation Analysis of Mental Health in Somalia (2010)

Our work

Care where there was none

From residential care to community outreach and rehabilitation, Rajo replaces stigma and neglect with treatment, dignity and hope in Galdogob.

A clinician with a patient at the Galdogob Mental Health Center
Treatment & rehab

Residential care

Up to 75 patients living with mental illness receive safe shelter, medication, counselling, skills training and family tracing on the road to recovery.

A Rajo clinician checking a woman's blood pressure at a community outreach assessment in Galdogob
Community

Outreach & follow-up

Free assessments, counselling and referrals from psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses, reaching people close to home.

The grounds of the Galdogob Mental Health Center
Recovery

Rehabilitation & return home

Skills, daily activities and family reintegration help residents rebuild independence and, wherever possible, return to their communities.

Explore our work →
2020Caring in Galdogob since
75residential places for patients with mental illness
9,000km²catchment reached, including by telemedicine
Freeoutreach assessments, at no cost to patients

Our appeals

Building the center, step by step

The completed inpatient ward at the Galdogob Mental Health Center
Appeal 1 · Complete

A place to heal, built

Thanks to 169 donors, our first appeal raised £4,278 to build and equip the Galdogob Mental Health Center: a safe, residential home for people living with severe mental illness who had nowhere else to turn.

£4,278 raised · 169 donationsComplete
Watch the story →
The Galdogob Mental Health Center compound from above
Appeal 2 · Now raising

Clean water for patients and staff

A dedicated water tank would give the center a safe, reliable water supply every day, for the patients in our residential care living with mental illness and the staff who look after them: drinking, washing, cooking and hygiene, year-round.

Goal £4,500Now raising
Support this appeal →
Female staff at the Galdogob Mental Health Center
Appeal 3 · Coming soon

A dedicated wing for women

Demand for care outstrips our space, especially for women. Extending the women's wing would let us admit more female patients living with mental illness and care for them safely, privately and with dignity.

Goal £15,000Coming soon
Register your interest →

How it works

Your gift becomes care

A simple, direct route from your support to treatment on the ground in Galdogob.

01

You give

Give once or monthly. UK taxpayers can add Gift Aid, and much of our work is Zakat-eligible; get in touch and we'll make it easy.

02

Care is delivered

Local qualified professionals at the Galdogob Mental Health Center turn your gift into medication, safe residential places and community outreach.

03

You see the impact

Follow stories of recovery, media coverage from Galdogob and regular updates from the center.

Ways to give →

Watch

See Galdogob for yourself

A welcome to the Galdogob Mental Health Center: the wards, the people and the community it serves.

An introduction to the Galdogob Mental Health Center
More videos →
A man found chained and neglected before receiving care

Abdi was found chained and disoriented, living under a tree near the Ethiopian border.

A story from Galdogob

“Abdi's story is one of many: people abandoned or chained because of stigma, and no access to care.”

Rajo's team brought Abdi to the center for treatment and rehabilitation. Today his mental health has improved dramatically, he takes part in daily life, and he volunteers at the center, an example of what recovery looks like when people are given care, dignity and opportunity.

Read more stories →

Why trust Rajo

Somali-led, UK-registered, there on the ground

Somali-professionals led

Founded and led by Somali health professionals; care is delivered by local qualified clinicians who live in the communities they serve.

Registered UK charity

Rajo Mental Health Education & Support is a UK-registered charity established in 2020, working in Somalia and the UK.

Peer-reviewed impact

The center's model and impact are documented in a published case report in the Somali Health Action Journal (2025). Your support goes to one visible project.

Working alongside

Puntland Mental Health Department
British Somali Medical Association
Federal Government Mental Health Department

Stay in touch

Follow the journey

One email a month: news, milestones and stories from the Galdogob Mental Health Center, straight to your inbox.

We will only email about Rajo, and you can unsubscribe anytime.