At least one in seven children in sub-Saharan Africa experiences significant psychological hardship. As the world marks World Mental Health Day, UNICEF and WHO shine a light on the need for increased investment and access to mental health prevention and response services on the continent. Children and adolescents are always at risk of developing mental health problems, especially vulnerable children facing poverty, discrimination and violence. The lack of access to basic social, health and education services, combined with wide-reaching structural inequalities,