YouBelong Uganda

YouBelong Uganda began in 2016 to help depopulate an overcrowded national mental hospital in Uganda, with over 1200 patients at any one time, with only 650 beds. Many patients have become institutionalized in asylum like conditions. With my social work background and the support of a Ugandan consultant senior psychiatrist we co founded the organization to strengthen the Ugandan mental health system with evidence based pre discharge assessment and post discharge planning and empowerment. Over a 10 year period we have perfected this model called YouBelong HOME, and now return between 40 and 60 people per month from hospital to home, with only no more than a 30% return rate over a 6 months period. Our plan is to increase this return rate to 100 + per month. We work closely with the Uganda Ministry of Health who support our work. We also assist in training of primary health workers in health centres, in mental health diagnosis and prescribing of medication.

As well, we operated a program called POWERFUL MINDS in the city of Jinja in Uganda, embedding mental health care and safeguarding in primary schools. This involved teacher training in mental health care and early childhood development. This is a dynamic program that brings together the school, its teachers, its children who form together in POWERFUL MINDS CLUBS to discuss their wellbing and school and family issues, family carers, and the local health centre, where children with particular mental health needs can be supported.

Over the last four years we have received a research grant from the WELLCOME TRUST in the UK, to trial the engagement of persons with psychosis but in an advanced stage of recovery, with persons at the beginning stage of managing psychosis. The use of people with lived experience of psychosis is seen as very important and impactful in the supporting role for families and their family member with psychosis.

YouBelong Uganda has a Women For Women Group, made up of the female social workers and mental health nurses at YouBelong Uganda. Their focus is three fold. First to examine ways in which the work of YouBelong Uganda can emphasize the needs of girls and young women in our programs, considering that Uganda is a highly patriarchal culture. Secondly, to examine ways in which we can support women who are victims of domestic violence. Thirdly, the group is currently looking at ways in which we can apply in Uganda, THE FRIENDSHIP BENCH model of community support for people in emotional need, that originated in Zimbabwe.

YouBelong Uganda, develops and facilitates Youth Consultation Groups. These are groups of young people who have various mental health illnesses. We bring them together 4 times a year, for mutual support and to hear their insights into how mental health programs are supporting or not supporting them. Their insights assist us to further develop our programs.

In 2026 and the next three years, we plan to increase our 40+ per month return of patients from hospital to home, to 100+ per month, as we see this as a tipping point target in having a significant impact in depopulation of the national mental hospital in Kampala, Uganda. As well, we will be working with the national mental hospital and the Ministry of Health in the development of a major depopulation plan. Like many other sub-Saharan African countries Uganda has a stand alone mental hospital, developed in colonial times, that is now seriously overpopulated leading to institutionalization and asylum like conditions. The YouBelong Uganda mission is to affirm the human rights of people of mental health care that affirms their human dignity, and their belonging needs to family and community. And we wish to work with the Ministry of Health in Uganda in increasing the training of primary health workers and mental health, and advocating for the government to increase the supply of essential mental health medicines at local health care centres.

We believe that there is NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH, AND NO MENTAL HEALTH WITHOUT BELONGING TO FAMILY AND COMMUNITY