Hairdressers help with therapy

Valerie attending to de Lima’s hair in Lome, Togo. An initiative to train hairdressers in mental health counselling is providing relief to hundreds of clients in a region with the world’s least access to therapy. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

JOSELINE de Lima was wandering the dusty alleys of her working-class neighbourhood in Lome, the capital of Togo, one day last year when a disturbing thought crossed her mind: who would take care of her two boys if her depression worsened and she were no longer around to look after them?

De Lima, a single mother who was grieving the recent death of her brother and had lost her job at a bakery, knew she needed help. But therapy was out of the question.