For patients at Children's Home Society in Boise, Executive Director Anselme Sadiki has a message of hope: "It gets better."
Idaho has the 8th highest rate of suicide in the US, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. How can we combat this? Sadiki says it starts with our children-- and more specifically-- "Access to services that could help them to control and manage whatever illness they have."
Under his leadership, there has been a 40 percent increase in children and teens who've come through their doors.
"It became something that grew out of me to really realize," he said. "That if we were to change the situation-- if we were to improve the conditions of lives of many-- we needed to take care of the children especially."
Better conditions: something he hopes to give others. But for him, as a child in the Congo, mental anguish was no stranger.
"I had my first sandals when I was about 14," said Sadiki.
He became the eldest of 11 siblings after five of them passed away from diseases like Malaria and Chickenpox.
"When you are lucky to even make it to 5 years of your birthday, it's a miracle."
With continued efforts at Children's Home Society, he hopes to be that miracle for someone else.
"It does matter for just that one life that we can touch."
