Our Story

Acceptance and Change for Health was founded following Salah Ahmed’s return to East Africa, specifically Somalia, with a vision to lead and develop sustainable mental health treatment and training programs. As a mental health professional, Salah recognized the urgent need to strengthen both access to care and the capacity of the local workforce. Driven by this commitment and a pioneering spirit to build systems from the ground up, Salah invited Dr. Dale Armstrong, a psychiatrist with over 30 years of clinical experience in the United States, to collaborate on this effort. Through their joint observation and assessment, they identified a critical shortage of trained mental health professionals, limited training opportunities, and widespread challenges in accurate diagnosis and quality of care. In response, Dr. Armstrong began splitting his time between the US and East Africa and has since been actively engaged in this work. Together, Salah Ahmed and Dr. Dale Armstrong co-founded Acceptance and Change for Health, establishing a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing culturally responsive, sustainable mental health care, professional training, and evidence-based research in the region.