"We've got to do something about this." - Daniel Botcherby, Co-Founder & CEO, Kalda

Watch full interview: https://youtu.be/C8hteCRSVX4

Out now for LGBTQI+ History Month: Interview with Daniel Samosir Botcherby, Co-Founder and CEO, Kalda

Daniel is co-founder and CEO of Kalda, a mobile app for people in the LGBTQI+ community who want mental health support. Their digital solution focuses on addressing the specific issues people in the community face, such as stigma and discrimination.

In this interview, Daniel outlines the importance of taking care of our minds: “Just like you go to the gym to get fit, you also need to proactively take care of your mind.” He also outlines things to celebrate, and what can also be the stark reality for some. Kalda's approach is to focus on peer support, connecting people with therapists with lived experience, and creating high-quality video content to help people going through tough times.

Here are some of the key questions we discuss:
- What specific mental health issues do people in the LGBTQi+ community face?
- What can be done to address this problem?
- What does it mean when someone says something is “heteronormative”? And how can this affect coming to terms with your own identity?
- How can entrepreneurial endeavours and technology help deal with the problems society faces?
- How did Daniel initiate and co-found Kalda?

To end, Daniel shared a quote from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi that has stuck with him ever since he first heard it, words which have guided him through life: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

He continued: “It is our responsibility as citizens of the world to leave the world better than how we came into it. If you see that there is something wrong in the world, do something about it.”

“Let's lead our lives with critical thought, and go out and cause change, and be at the heart of action.”

“My message to all activists out there is: Keep fighting the good fight, keep doing what you’re doing, and continue to be that change you want to see in the world.”

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Full interview available now:
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/C8hteCRSVX4
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xXqRC3mCW0e7GNsMqVMpi?si=331b6dbe1c374be1

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Hope you enjoy the conversation, and learn as much as I did. And I hope that you are able to use the lessons to go on and change the world.

Alvin Carpio
Founding Director
School of Social Justice
Become a patron: http://isupportssj.com/.