Across South Africa, women have stepped up to create safe spaces in their communities that offer support and counselling to those in need.

Nonhlanhla "Nono" Maseko has worked at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group's (Sadag's) counselling container in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, for 11 years. She provides support to residents facing a range of problems, from mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and trauma, to social ills such as gender-based violence (GBV) and unemployment.

Maseko said it was rewarding to see those who seek help at the counselling container improve "day by day".

"I think, as women, we come from that caring side. When you look at the expectations of women -- taking care of children, raising a family -- it comes naturally to a woman to care for the other person," she reflected.

The Diepsloot Sadag counselling facility, where Maseko works alongside three other women, is fondly known as the Blue Container by residents. Established in 2012 as a pilot programme aimed at bridging the access gap for mental health services in the largely under-resourced community, it operates out of a shipping container on a plot of land alongside the local fire station.

Maseko and her colleagues offer free...