From the Ground Up: Building a Grassroots Network of Mental Health First Responders for Children and Adolescents

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Mental health challenges among children and adolescents are often silent, overlooked, and untreated. Across the country, countless young people face emotional distress without access to support, leaving families and communities struggling to respond. Recognizing this urgent need, Let Love Thrive Foundation is building a grassroots movement to equip local leaders, educators, and advocates with the skills to respond when a child cries for help.

On September 21, 2025, in McKinley, Taguig, Let Love Thrive marked its first anniversary with the launch of its inaugural Mental Health First Aid Training for children and adolescents. In partnership with Amtec Global Solutions Inc. (AGSI) and Project AHA, the program brought together a diverse group of participants from government agencies, schools, civil society organizations, and community groups, united by a shared goal: to become first responders for the mental health of youth in their communities.

Representatives from the Commission on Human Rights, RP Cruz Elementary School, JCI Damas, JCI Binan, Zonta Club of Laguna, Tau Gamma San Pedro, Mujer Organization, Bata Foundation, and Bai Laya joined the training. Different backgrounds, different experiences, but one shared commitment: ensuring that Filipino children have access to timely, compassionate care.

Equipping Communities with Life-Saving Skills

The training was immersive and hands-on. Participants learned to recognize signs of emotional distress, understand the effects of trauma, and apply Psychological First Aid (PFA) techniques with cultural sensitivity and empathy.

Key areas covered included:

• Understanding child and adolescent development

• Recognizing signs of trauma, stress, or abuse

• Providing immediate emotional support and reassurance

• Connecting children to professional and community-based help

At the end of the day, each participant left prepared to serve as a Mental Health First Aid Responder, a lifeline for children in crisis within their own communities.

“This will not only strengthen and expand our advocacy, it will also ensure that more children and communities in need will be given proper care and support. While we may not be able to be physically present everywhere, our partners on the ground can be — and together, we are building a network of first responders who can make help and hope accessible anytime and anywhere for our children.”— Christine Ramos, Executive Director, Let Love Thrive Foundation

Addressing a Silent Emergency

Mental health remains one of the most overlooked public health challenges in the Philippines. An estimated 3.6 million Filipinos live with mental, neurological, or substance use disorders. Among youth aged 15 to 29, suicide is the second leading cause of death.

For many children and adolescents, these struggles go unseen. In rural and marginalized areas, access to psychosocial support is limited, leaving communities without safe spaces or trained responders. Let Love Thrive addresses this gap not by replacing government services, but by empowering local communities to recognize and respond to mental health challenges early, strengthening the safety net where it is needed most.

Voices from the Ground

Dr. Flordelyn Umagat, Principal of RP Cruz Elementary School:

“This training helps us address the challenges our students face at school and at home. It equips teachers with the knowledge to engage with empathy and understanding.”

Rosanne Marie Aldeguer, Bai Laya:

“We respond to women and girls in crisis. Integrating mental health support into our programs, especially in Indigenous communities, is life-changing.”

Kiara Mae Riano, Bata Foundation:

“Many of our teenage beneficiaries have faced abandonment and trauma. This training gives our social workers the tools to respond with compassion and trauma-informed care.”

From Training to Movement

The Mental Health First Aid Training extends far beyond a single session. It has sparked a grassroots movement, connecting educators, advocates, and community leaders into a network of care that strengthens resilience and compassion across communities.

In just one year, Let Love Thrive has expanded its reach—providing psychosocial support in orphanages, prisons, and disaster-affected areas, while continuing feeding programs, medical aid, and educational workshops. This milestone represents a pivotal shift from providing direct assistance to building local capacity, empowering communities to sustain mental health support from within.

Mental health advocacy is not optional. What began in Taguig is now a growing revolution of care: every child’s cry for help can meet an open ear, every trauma can find informed support, and every community has someone ready to respond.

Let Love Thrive envisions a Philippines where mental health is a shared, grassroots responsibility, and where hope, compassion, and care ripple outward from the communities themselves.