Language delay affects about 15 percent of children worldwide, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Among children aged between two and seven, prevalence ranges from 2.3 to 19 percent, depending on the population studied.
In Malawi, a study published in 2020, the first of its kind, surveyed 960 preschool children in Thyolo District and found that 10.7 percent had a disability, including language and social developmental delays measured using the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT).
These statistics highlight the scale of the challenge that 35-year-old Ruth Chatata, a PhD scholar at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, is seeking to address through her doctoral research on the effectiveness of sensory play in managing speech delay among preschool children.
“We screened 264 children, with 46 taking part in an eight-week sensory play intervention programme, and I also conducted qualitative thematic analysis from teacher interviews to understand the impact beyond just the numbers,” she says in a written response.
Ruth was introduced to sensory play by one of the colleagues she met during her master’s studies and then child psychiatry captured her attention during her clinical training at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya, the country’s main psychiatric facility.
During rotations as part of her training, she discovered a particular interest in working with children and adolescents.
“I found myself spending time in the Child Psychiatry Clinic even when I wasn’t on duty. That’s where my passion for working with children took root,” she recalls.
The young woman runs sensory play sessions at international schools in Nairobi, working directly with young children to support developmental milestones. She also sees children, adolescents and adults through her private practice, Umunthu Psychology and Wellness, operating from a home office.
Through her work in sensory play, she has also been able to finance her doctoral studies.
“There’s a real conversation to be had about how expensive it is for Africans to access quality postgraduate education, whether at home or abroad, and how little support exists for those of us who choose to self-fund. I chose not to let the cost stop me—I built income streams that could carry both my life and my education at the same time.”
That same philosophy inspired Umunthu Psychology and Wellness; a practice born from her belief that many mental health services in Africa continue to rely on Western models that do not always reflect African realities.
Named after the Bantu philosophy of Umunthu—“I am because we are”—the practice embraces the idea that wellbeing is closely tied to community, relationships and belonging.
The Umunthu initiative works with individuals, families, schools, and communities, offering mental health support, awareness programmes and clinical consultation.
“Currently I run the practice with a small team, and I also collaborate with colleagues on community outreach and school-based psycho-education programmes. The vision is much bigger. I want Umunthu to become a recognised centre for African psychology practice and research, particularly around child and adolescent mental health,” she explains.
Nonetheless, working in mental health comes with emotional demands. The youthful psychologist says: “when you work with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect, it isn’t easy. It’s heartbreaking. You carry some of what you hear, even as you hold space for the child in front of you.”
Although she is now firmly established in psychology, it was never her childhood dream; she wanted to become a lawyer.The turning point came in 2021 when her niece suggested that she would make a good psychologist.
“I went home, researched what that path would look like and decided to pursue it,” Chatata says.
It was then that many of her friends reminded her that they had always turned to her during difficult times because of her ability to listen; so her observation and their affirmation set her on this path. “Looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.
Born on March 22, 1991, at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Chatata is the eldest of four children. She spent her early years in Blantyre before her family relocated to Lilongwe when she was about 17.
Raised by her late father, Lee William Chatata, and her mother, Alice Charity Chatata, she credits their strict upbringing and emphasis on education and discipline for shaping her.
She first earned an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Management before completing a postgraduate diploma in Global Health Procurement and Supply Chain Management through the Empower School of Health in Geneva.
She later obtained a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, specialising in trauma, addiction, and marriage and family therapy at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, while also undertaking specialised training through Support for Addictions Prevention and Treatment in Africa (SAPTA).
She is now completing a PhD in Counselling Psychology with specialisations in Child and Adolescent Psychology, Clinical Supervision and African Psychology.
In July 2026, she presented her research at the 22nd European Conference on Personality at the University of Edinburgh, one of the world’s leading personality psychology conferences, attended by over 500 researchers from over 40 countries.
The presentation was supported by a competitive grant from the European Association of Personality Psychology, awarded on the strength of both her research and the association’s commitment to supporting scholars from underrepresented regions.
Beyond clinical practice, the mother of two also regularly participates in media programmes and community discussions on child development, neurodevelopment, and mental wellness, while also leading school-based psycho-education initiatives that reach hundreds of students.
