Psych-Rescue Kenya is breaking the silence with compassion in a society where conversations about baby loss often remain muted.
Each year in October, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness initiatives are held to honor the memories of babies lost too soon and to support families experiencing such loss. The awareness month also aims to break the silence surrounding baby loss, encouraging open conversations and greater understanding within communities.
This October, as the world observes Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Week, held annually from 9th to 15th October, the organization stands at the heart of Kenya’s growing conversation on grief and remembrance. Today, this October 15th, as the week culminates in Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day 2025, Psych-Rescue joins families and advocates worldwide in lighting candles of hope, remembrance, and healing.
Founded by Anne Nguthuku, a mother who turned personal loss into purpose, Psych-Rescue is transforming how society understands and responds to this delicate pain. Through therapy, awareness, and peer support, the initiative continues to create safe spaces where grief is acknowledged, healing is nurtured, and no parent mourns alone.
Psych-Rescue: Giving Voice to Silent Grief
Every October, the world pauses to remember babies lost too soon during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Week, held annually from 9th to 15th October. The week serves as a time of reflection, remembrance, and renewed commitment to supporting families who have endured the pain of losing a child during pregnancy, at birth, or shortly after. It is also a call to action, to speak openly about a grief that too many still experience in silence.
In Kenya, Psych-Rescue Kenya is leading this conversation with courage and compassion. Founded by Anne Nguthuku, a mother whose own loss inspired her to help others heal, the organization is redefining how society understands and responds to baby loss. This year’s theme is “Together, We Care”. It is all about showing families that they’re not alone. Whether the loss happened during pregnancy, at birth, or shortly after, this week is a gentle reminder that every story matters and every baby is remembered. This week is about finding time to care for ourselves, each other, and showing our unwavering support.
“We are deliberately creating awareness on how child loss affects an individual’s mental well-being,” says Anne. “Both onsite and virtually, Psych-Rescue ensures that no one goes through baby loss alone, not only in Kenya but beyond.”
Through community outreach, psychosocial support, and online engagement, Psych-Rescue continues to bridge the gap between private pain and public understanding. Their work not only provides healing spaces, a vital shift in a culture that often avoids conversations around loss.
For years, parents who experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death faced stigma and isolation. Anne recalls a time when baby loss was rarely spoken about, even within families.
“In earlier years, individuals who went through baby loss often faced stigma and discrimination. Many suffered in silence, feeling isolated or misunderstood. However, we’ve begun to see a shift, society is now more open and accepting toward these parents. There’s growing recognition that baby loss is not a private tragedy to be hidden, but a shared experience that deserves compassion and support. While there’s still a long way to go, the conversation is evolving positively.”
Still, silence lingers. Many parents continue to struggle with expressing or acknowledging their grief publicly. Cultural taboos, fear of judgment, and the belief that one should “move on quickly” remain heavy barriers. “The biggest challenge,” Anne notes, “is the lack of awareness and absence of safe spaces where individuals can freely express their grief.”
The Tender Work of Healing
At the heart of Psych-Rescue Kenya’s mission lies the tender, ongoing work of helping families rediscover hope after unimaginable loss. Over the past year, the organization has witnessed powerful stories that testify to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative impact of compassionate care.
Anne Nguthuku shares that one truth continues to guide their work: when grieving parents are given the right resources and emotional support, healing radiates through entire families.
“When individuals are provided with the right resources to move through baby loss grief, the whole family rises again. The individual goes back to productivity and even becomes someone who inspires others who have gone through the same.”
Anne Nguthuku, Founder, Psych-Rescue
These stories of recovery are reminders that grief, when met with empathy, can evolve into strength. Parents who once felt broken now serve as pillars of hope for others in their communities. Through community connections, shared experiences, and sustained care, Psych-Rescue is creating circles of healing that ripple across communities.
Awareness initiatives like Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Week play a central role in sustaining this momentum. Beyond remembrance, they ignite national dialogue and inspire policy reflection.
“Awareness creates a big role in shaping policies around perinatal mental health and infant loss. We are bridging the gap between personal pain and public understanding, ensuring that maternal and newborn health doesn’t end at safe delivery, but extends to compassionate post-loss care, bereavement leave, and emotional support for parents.”
Through these advocacy efforts, Psych-Rescue is helping to shape a healthcare and social system where loss is met not with silence, but with structured care and human dignity.
Still, the journey of grief extends far beyond the first weeks or months after loss. Recognizing this, Psych-Rescue continues to walk alongside families long after the initial shock fades.
“Beyond grief, we offer peer support groups focused on infant loss and perinatal grief. We stay present, remembering special dates and reaching out to our beneficiaries, making sure they know they’re not forgotten.”
For many parents, these gestures of presence mean everything. A simple message on an anniversary, a check-in from a counselor, or a shared story in a support group, all become quiet lifelines of hope. It’s this sustained compassion that defines Psych-Rescue’s work: grief may never disappear, but no one has to carry it alone.
Reimagining Baby Loss Awareness and Support
As conversations around baby loss gain momentum, Psych-Rescue Kenya continues to remind society that healing requires collective effort. The organization’s message to communities, faith institutions, and workplaces is both profound and practical: grief cannot heal in isolation.
“My message is simple, be present and be mindful,” says Anne Nguthuku, founder of Psych-Rescue. “Small acts of compassion, listening without judgment, acknowledging their loss, avoiding hurtful words, can make a tremendous difference.”
These gestures, though seemingly small, form the foundation of a more understanding and supportive society. When community members choose empathy over silence, and institutions choose compassion over avoidance, parents who’ve endured baby loss feel less alone. It’s this shift, from discomfort to care, that Psych-Rescue believes will redefine how Kenya approaches perinatal and infant grief.
Each year, as the world pauses on October 15th for the Wave of Light, Psych-Rescue and the families they walk with join millions globally in remembrance. For one evening, candles are lit across the world, a shared moment of reflection that transcends borders.
“The Wave of Light is a deeply meaningful moment for us,” Anne reflects. “It’s a time to honor babies gone but never forgotten. Lighting a candle symbolizes connection, healing, and hope. Though their little ones are no longer physically present, their memory continues to shine brightly in our hearts.”
Looking ahead, Anne envisions a Kenya where support for grieving parents is not confined to major cities or private clinics but is accessible in every county.
“My broader vision is to scale our work across all counties, ensuring that baby loss support is available to every parent who needs it. We’re expanding our teletherapy services to reach remote areas and continuing to strengthen our community-based approaches that combine therapy, peer support, and awareness.”
Anne Nguthuku, Founder, Psych-Rescue
This integrated vision reimagines what compassionate care looks like, one where healing is supported not just by professionals but by a society that chooses to stand together in empathy and understanding. In Anne’s words, “Ultimately, we want to build a Kenya where baby loss is met with compassion, where healing is supported at every level, and where no parent grieves in silence.”
Carson Anekeya
As this month of October reminds us of the deep realities of pregnancy and infant loss, may we choose to make this an ongoing conversation, not one confined to a single week or month. These are experiences that touch families every day, quietly and profoundly. Only by integrating baby loss awareness into our communities, health systems, and conversations can we build a society that not only remembers but also responds with compassion, understanding, and lasting support.
To learn more or get involved, you can reach out to Psych-Rescue’s founder, Anne Nguthuku, on LinkedIn or X. You can as well visist their Instagram and Facebook Page. Every act of support, no matter how small, brings grieving parents closer to the care and understanding they deserve.
“Parents who lose a baby deserve the same care, empathy, and support as anyone grieving a loved one. Communities must learn to honor the time these babies lived, no matter how short, because to their parents, they meant everything.”
Anne Nguthuku, Founder, Psych Rescue
It is inspiring to see individuals like Anne Nguthuku leading this change, transforming communities, driving awareness and healing through initiatives like Psych-Rescue Kenya. In her rising, may many more rise, to give support in the moments it is most needed, to listen where silence once prevailed, and to help ensure that every grieving parent finds not isolation, but empathy and hope.
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