Understanding mental health
Mental health is not the absence of difficulty: it is the ability to live, feel, work and connect with others despite hardship.
A programme of the association
Stop being strong for everyone else.
A space — not a method.
In 30 days, we help you stop carrying it alone. Find a place where you can breathe again, without falling apart.
30-day guarantee — refunded
Message us on WhatsApp
+33 6 44 91 52 50
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Where to start?
Choose the situation closest to yours. Each path leads to concrete help.
I am going through a difficult time
You feel overwhelmed, exhausted or alone with what you are living through.
Find helpI am worried about someone close to me
Someone around you is struggling and you do not know how to help.
How can I help them?I would like to talk to someone
A caring, confidential conversation, without judgement.
Contact usI am looking for information
Understand, learn, and find reliable guidance.
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Urgent situation —
If you are in immediate danger, contact your country's emergency services without delay. Learn more
For those who never make waves.
Kevin, 34.
A composite portrait, drawn from the situations we support. It is not a testimonial.
01 — The weight
The one who copes. The one everyone calls. The one who never makes waves.
You are strong for everyone else.
At work, at home, with friends — people find you solid, available, present. You are the anchor.
But on your own, it collapses.
In the evening the exhaustion hits at once. A dull pressure in the chest. An urge to drop everything that you tell no one about.
You have no one to set it down with.
Because everyone believes you are untouchable. Because saying “I am not doing well” would break the image everything rests on.
02 — The refuge
A place to set it down.
REFUJ is not therapy. It is not an app. It is a human, discreet space, held by people who have carried the same thing you carry — and who walk with you so you no longer carry it alone.
01
Out of the isolation
A closed community of people living the same thing. No performance, no judgement.
02
Understand what weighs
Put words on what actually breaks you down — the mirror effect that puts everything back in its place.
03
A 30-day horizon
Sleep, energy, clarity. Not promises: markers you can observe for yourself.
04
Rare closeness
Direct access to the person supporting you — no waiting room, no form.
03 — Join
Three ways in.
Choose where you are today. You can move from one tier to another at any time, or stop whenever you want.
Entry — First breath
I am not alone any more.
49 € / month
- Private WhatsApp group
- Regular voice messages
- One theme worked on each week
- A community that understands
Most chosen
Standard — Heart of the refuge
I am taking back control.
99 € / month
- Everything in the Entry tier
- 1 to 2 group sessions per month
- A structured 30- then 60-day path
- Guided exercises: boundaries, identity, load
- Personal answers between sessions
Premium — Out of survival mode
I am no longer carrying this alone.
From
300 €
/ month
Tailored support, adjusted after a first conversation.
- Everything in the Standard tier
- 2 to 4 one-to-one sessions per month
- Direct voice follow-up on WhatsApp
- A personal plan: load, boundaries, priorities
- Life audit and priority access
- Lighter within 30 days, or refunded
This information is provided for general guidance and does not constitute a medical diagnosis.
REFUJ provides information, a listening ear, guidance and support. The information on this website does not replace a consultation with a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist or other qualified health professional.
REFUJ provides information, a listening ear, guidance and support. The information on this website does not replace a consultation with a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist or other qualified health professional.
REFUJ
Listen first. Act next.
REFUJ started from a simple observation: many people hold on alone, for a long time, without anyone noticing. We open a space to set down what you carry, and we guide you towards the right people.
- A caring, confidential conversation, at your own pace and without judgement.
- We seek to understand your request, without claiming to make a diagnosis.
- We point you towards the most suitable resources or professionals.
- Where possible, we stay present over time.
We replace no one
REFUJ is neither a practice nor an emergency service. We listen, we guide, we stay present over time — and we hand over to professionals when that is what you need.
Confidentiality
Your request is confidential. Its content is encrypted and can only be read by the people authorised to support you.
Français · English
REFUJ works across the whole journey: from the first conversation to regained autonomy.
Mental health
Understanding mental health
Clear, jargon-free guidance to put words on what you are experiencing.
Stress
Stress is a normal bodily reaction. It becomes concerning when it settles in and never lets up.
Anxiety
Anxiety is worry that anticipates danger. When it becomes overwhelming, it gradually narrows daily life.
Depression
Depression is not passing sadness or a lack of willpower. It is a common condition, and it can be treated.
Burnout
Burnout builds slowly, often in people deeply committed to their work.
Young people
Adolescence and early adulthood concentrate upheaval. It is not "just a phase".
Family
When a loved one struggles, the whole family is affected. Carers need support too.
Helping a loved one
You do not have to become a therapist. Listening, staying present and guiding already helps a great deal.
Our support
How we support you
A six-step path, at your own pace, with no commitment.
First contact
Phone, WhatsApp, form or email: choose whichever channel feels comfortable.
Listening
A caring, confidential conversation, at your own pace and without judgement.
Understanding the need
We seek to understand your request, without claiming to make a diagnosis.
Guidance
We point you towards the most suitable resources or professionals.
Support
Where possible, we stay present over time.
Autonomy
The goal remains the same: helping you regain confidence, resources and autonomy.
Your rights
Your mental health never takes away your dignity.
REFUJ works across the whole journey: from the first conversation to regained autonomy.
Know my rights
Right to respect
Confidentiality
Non-discrimination
Consent
Dignity
Access to care
Inclusion
Access to education
Access to employment
Protection from abuse
Our work
Our areas of work
REFUJ works across the whole journey: from the first conversation to regained autonomy.
REFUJ
The faces behind REFUJ
REFUJ grew out of the commitment of two women.
Jacqueline NGUETZOU
Mama Afrika
Founder of REFUJ (your refuge in mental health) · Vice-President of GCE
Jacqueline NGUETZOU gave REFUJ its reason to exist: naming what goes unspoken. Known as Mama Afrika, she publicly carries a subject many would rather keep quiet — psychological suffering, and the silence surrounding it in families and communities alike.
Her book, Je souffre de santé mentale (Je ne suis pas folle), says what the association says: a psychological difficulty is neither a weakness, nor a fault, nor a fate. It can be lived through, supported, and overcome.
As Vice-President of Global Care & Empowerment, she connects REFUJ's one-to-one listening to a wider effort: giving back their dignity to people who have stopped being heard.
Odile BANGILI
Co-founder of REFUJ · President of Global Care & Empowerment
Odile BANGILI chairs Global Care & Empowerment, the association of which REFUJ is the mental health programme. Her line holds in one sentence, the one written into Article 3 of the articles of association: restore dignity, promote autonomy, bring hope to vulnerable populations.
That is the standard she brought into REFUJ: listening is not enough if no one, afterwards, opens a door. Supported orphanages, families helped, empowerment programmes through training — support does not stop at comfort.
As co-founder of REFUJ, she makes sure the association stays what it promises: a place where you are received, then guided, then followed.
The book
Je souffre de santé mentale
(I am not crazy)
Jacqueline NGUETZOU — Mama Afrika
Last step
You do not have to carry this alone any more.
Leave your first name and email. We answer personally within 24 hours to tell you whether REFUJ is right for you — and where to start.
Would you rather talk right now? Message us on WhatsApp