PsicoNED and NeuronUP in Zanzibar: Neuropsychology, Cooperation and Hope

Mar Piquer Martínez, coordinator of the PsicoNED project in Zanzibar, takes us on a two-week mission to train, intervene, and transform lives through neuropsychological rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction

In May 2025, two members of the NeuronUP team traveled to Zanzibar as part of a new PsicoNED mission. Carolina, a neuropsychologist, and Marina, from the communications team, chose to spend two weeks working closely with the local team and joining in their daily work.

They spent most of their stay at the House of Hope on the island of Unguja, where much of the PsicoNED project’s clinical, training, and community work takes place. From there, they both took part in developing neuropsychological interventions, training the local team, and documenting the real impact of neuropsychology in a region where it is still an emerging discipline.

What is PsicoNED?

PsicoNED is an initiative led by the Neurosurgery, Education and Development (NED) Foundation with the aim of strengthening mental health in vulnerable settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Africa, an estimated 200,000 children born each year will develop hydrocephalus or be born with a neural tube defect, which is a serious public health problem. To address this reality, the NED Foundation has carried out more than 300 pediatric neurosurgery missions since 2008, providing surgical care to patients who would otherwise have no access to these treatments. The Foundation’s philosophy is based on horizontal cooperation and on building the local team’s independence, in order to ensure sustainable, high-quality interventions over time.

In 2021, the Foundation established the House of Hope in Zanzibar to provide comprehensive care (housing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, home visits, and psychosocial support) to children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida and their families. PsicoNED was born in this home in 2023 as a response to the need to address these children’s neuropsychological after-effects. Since then, the project has worked to train local teams in neuropsychology, develop clinical interventions, and raise awareness of mental health.

NeuronUP, for its part, is the main digital platform we use at PsicoNED to design and carry out cognitive stimulation activities. Because it is so easy to use, local professionals have been able to adapt and apply the activities independently. Another key aspect is that NeuronUP makes remote monitoring by the team in Spain easier, which allows us to assess the children’s progress in real time and adjust interventions to their needs. In addition, through our collaboration, many exercises have been translated into Swahili, allowing them to be adapted to the local cultural and linguistic context and making the interventions more accessible and effective.

Inside the PsicoNED–NeuronUP mission

From the moment they arrived, Carolina and Marina settled into the House of Hope with great sensitivity. As Carolina recalls: “We arrived very excited and quite nervous. We wanted to do our best and didn’t know exactly what we would find, but as soon as we met the project leaders (Ruwayda and Hamissa), we connected and knew that together we could do great work.”

Intervention and training: a joint effort

During her stay, Carolina focused on working directly with children and training the local team to use the NeuronUP platform. Together with the local therapists, they analyzed clinical cases, reviewed intervention plans, and designed new activities tailored to each child.

“After working with the project remotely, choosing activities and doing everything possible to make the intervention run as smoothly as possible, being there in person and working with the children directly was fantastic,” Carolina explains. “No two children were alike, and each one had very specific needs. Seeing how they approached the intervention, how they enjoyed NeuronUP, or simply how they told us about things, is priceless.”

They also organized a workshop for the mothers’ support group, a space that is essential in supporting families. 

The first in-person neuropsychology course in Zanzibar

One of the most significant milestones of this mission was teaching the first in-person neuropsychology course in Zanzibar. Over two days, 64 psychology students enthusiastically attended a workshop covering the fundamentals of neuropsychology and cognitive stimulation.

This course was a decisive step in opening up new perspectives in a region where psychology is still closely tied to religious or philosophical beliefs. The introduction of neuropsychology helped many attendees understand the connection between the brain, cognition, and behavior. 

“My main contribution is theoretical and practical knowledge of cognitive rehabilitation and stimulation, which, combined with the knowledge of the local team and the families, resulted in an increasingly complete and tailored intervention,” says Carolina.

A sensitive perspective: communicating to transform

Meanwhile, Marina sensitively documented the project’s day-to-day life. She interviewed the local team, captured scenes from the sessions, and took part in the home visits scheduled during the mission. “The day we did home visits was especially meaningful. We saw different realities and realized how different life can be, even within the same area,” she says.

From her communications role, Marina highlighted the value of contributing from other disciplines: “Even if you’re not a professional in the field, you can always offer something beautiful and valuable to others, as long as you do it with goodwill and respect.”

I especially want to highlight one of her reflections on the importance of keeping a person-centered approach: “It’s important for volunteers to understand the users’ needs and start from there, above all trying to keep them motivated.” 

The fight for pediatric neurorehabilitation in Africa: interview with Mar Piquer, coordinator of PsicoNED

Social and human impact: beyond clinical data

The impact of these missions can’t be measured by clinical data alone. Thanks to carefully designed interventions, many families regain hope. Where there used to be silence and fear, dialogue, support networks, and emotional bonds are now flourishing: “We held a session with the group of mothers of the children who came to the foundation, and it was very moving to see their courage, their ability to show vulnerability and share their fears and difficulties in public, and the great support they gave one another,” Carolina recalls about the women’s support group session. These small, seemingly simple moments are the ones that transform lives.

The value of working together

For us, the collaboration with NeuronUP is a clear commitment to universal access to high-quality tools for neuropsychological rehabilitation. Thanks to the joint work with PsicoNED, activities have been adapted, personalized plans have been designed, and local therapists have been trained. This commitment to the global development of neuropsychology reaffirms the shared conviction that knowledge should be accessible, applicable, and able to transform the most vulnerable realities. 

“Our collaboration with PsicoNED isn’t an isolated action but part of a global commitment to making neuropsychological rehabilitation accessible, regardless of the context or the resources available. At NeuronUP, we feel deeply committed to PsicoNED, providing not just a technological tool but a real path to transformation for thousands of children in vulnerable settings,” says Carolina.

In the end, this is the project’s ultimate goal: for more and more children to have access to high-quality intervention, for families to feel supported, and for local teams to be able to continue this life-changing work independently. As Marina concludes: “I’m taking with me the humanity of the people, and a feeling I already had has grown much stronger: teamwork.”

“Our collaboration with PsicoNED isn’t an isolated action but part of a global commitment to making neuropsychological rehabilitation accessible, regardless of the context or the resources available. At NeuronUP, we feel deeply committed to PsicoNED, providing not just a technological tool but a real path to transformation for thousands of children in vulnerable settings,” says Carolina.

When two people travel, the impact multiplies. What seems like a small gesture often turns into a wave of change. Who doesn’t remember a comment that kept them going at a very difficult time, or a smile that gave them the strength to carry on? These small moments are often what change the course of things. And in Zanzibar, over two weeks, many of those moments were planted.

Carolina and Marina reflect the people who make up NeuronUP: professionals committed to putting their knowledge and skills at the service of a fairer, more connected world.

Thank you, Carolina. Thank you, Marina. And thank you to everyone who makes PsicoNED possible and who believes that there is still room for hope in the world.

Because yes, there is always hope.

Don’t miss other content related to the Zanzibar project:

“This article has been translated. Link to the original article in Spanish:”
PsicoNED y NeuronUP en Zanzíbar: Neuropsicología, cooperación y esperanza