This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
On August 1, 2019, Karim Kanji, a third-year student, launched the Masiri app, a mobile application designed to offer free depression services and support to those struggling with mental health issues.
According to Kanji, the app aims to provide a comfortable and safe space for users to share their troubles and receive help from professional counselors and other users.
‘I realised that most people are trapped in depression without anyone to open up to about their troubles and was motivated to come up with a platform which could offer free depression services,’ Kanji said in an interview.
Despite the challenges he faced in sourcing professional counselors, Kanji remained committed to his vision and worked tirelessly to develop the app.
‘I had to go out of my way to source for counselors. It is through them that many will be helped and will have a professional view towards it unlike being in a position where the depressed people are advised by random people or friends,’ he explained.
Kanji's passion for computer science and web development was sparked by his curiosity about how digital gadgets operated, and he hopes to start a company after graduation to train and empower others to develop software solutions to societal problems.
