Wellness Day
A day focused on living well with lupus: movement, nutrition, rest, mental health and practical self-management.
Events & campaigns
Make Lupus Visible
Our events exist for one reason: so that people living with lupus in Africa are seen. Here is what we have been doing, and what is coming next.
For many people here, it was the first time they stood in a crowd where lupus did not need explaining.
World Lupus Day 2026, Nairobi. Photo: Raymond Kiunga.
Flagship campaign · 9 May 2026 · Nairobi
World Lupus Day 2026: Steps for Change
Hundreds of warriors, caregivers, clinicians and partners walked through Nairobi under one message: Make Lupus Visible.
Hosted with the Aga Khan University Hospital, the day began with a community walk accompanied by a brass band, moving through the city with banners, flags and purple everywhere. It ended at the grounds with a wellness and education programme, a patient pledge wall, open sharing from warriors and caregivers, partner recognition, and a cake.
For many people who came, it was the first time they had stood in a crowd where lupus did not need explaining.
The day, in order
How Steps for Change unfolded
Morning
Gathering at the Aga Khan University Hospital
Warriors, caregivers, families, clinicians and partner organisations assembled in LFA and partner t-shirts, with the World Lupus Day 2026 banner at the front.
The walk
Through Nairobi, with a band
The community walked through the city behind the Make Lupus Visible banner, accompanied by a brass band. Purple flags, drums and chanting turned an ordinary street into a public conversation about lupus.
Midday
The pledge wall
At the grounds, members wrote messages to one another on a public board: notes of hope, encouragement and promises to keep going. “We win, we are strong.”
Afternoon
Wellness and education programme
Sessions covering living well with lupus, nutrition, mental health and navigating care, with open sharing from warriors and caregivers, and a panel bringing clinicians and patients into the same conversation.
Close
Recognition and celebration
Partners who made the day possible were recognised, the community cut a cake together, and everyone gathered for one enormous group photograph.
Key messages of the day
- Lupus is real, and it is here
- Invisible illness deserves visible support
- Early diagnosis prevents permanent organ damage
- Care should not depend on where you live or what you earn
- No one should face lupus alone
What happened next
New members joined from across the country, several chapters gained active participants, and media coverage carried the message far beyond the people who walked. The conversations started that day continue in our support groups and in our policy engagement.
Read our World Lupus Day story in the LFA newsletter
“We win, we are strong.” Written by someone who had every reason not to believe it, and wrote it anyway.
The pledge wall. Photo: Raymond Kiunga.
Gallery
World Lupus Day 2026 in pictures
Look closely and you will see it: people who spent years being told they looked fine, refusing to be invisible for one day. Select any photograph to view it larger, and use the arrow keys to move through the gallery. All photography by Raymond Kiunga.
Our wider programme
What else we run through the year
World Lupus Day is our largest moment, but the work does not stop between Mays.
Patient meet-ups
Smaller, regular gatherings across our chapters where members connect, share and support one another directly.
Hospital visits
Including our visit to Kenyatta National Hospital, connecting patients, clinicians and the wider lupus community.
Stakeholder meetings
Policy engagement including meetings with the Social Health Authority on coverage for lupus diagnosis and treatment.
Media engagements
Awareness features and interviews with Citizen TV, NTV Kenya and KBC, carrying patient voices to a national audience.
Educational sessions
Including nutrition education delivered with AAR Healthcare, promoting healthy living and holistic wellbeing.
Be there for the next one
Members hear about walks, meet-ups, wellness days and campaign actions first. Membership is KES 500 or USD 4 a year.