“Scaling Evidence-Based Mental Health Care Through Government Systems: Vida Plena’s 2026 Plan” by Joy Bittner
Description
TLDR
- Who we are: Vida Plena (meaning a ‘flourishing life’ in Spanish), which launched in 2022 via Ambitious Impact/ Charity Entrepreneurship.
- What We Do: Combat depression and anxiety by fostering hope and connection through community-based group therapy sessions.
- Why We Do It: Because untreated depression drives immense suffering, yet remains one of the most neglected health burdens in low-resource settings.
- Where We Work: Ecuador, with plans for regional expansion starting in 2028
- Results: 84% of participants improve clinically in depression and anxiety. 82% had reduced suicidal thoughts.
- Funding Gap: Total of $175,000.
- $54,000 will allow us to expand to Manta, a coastal city plagued by gang violence, the Indigenous Amazon in Tena, and Puyo.
- Why Now? Nationwide expansion is within sight. We’re getting governmental buy-in, reducing our costs of operation, and we’re demonstrating that our model works within various cultural contexts throughout Ecuador.
Before reading on, how strongly do you think mental health improvements reduce total human suffering? Please share your reasoning in the comments.
Mental health is a major driver of overall human suffering.Place your vote or view results.hellowhatContext for Our Work
Depression is one of the largest drivers of disability worldwide, yet remains chronically neglected in global health. [...]
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Outline:
(00:21 ) TLDR
(02:01 ) Context for Our Work
(04:26 ) What is the evidence base for the intervention you are employing?
(06:19 ) Track Record so Far
(07:57 ) Now Entering Phase 2: Scaling Through Government Systems
(09:22 ) What's Next
(10:42 ) Cost effectiveness
(12:23 ) How marginal funding accelerates our work
(14:03 ) How You Can Help
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First published:
November 21st, 2025
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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
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