News from StrongMinds
StrongMinds is deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Wendy Andezu, who passed away on June 26th. Wendy joined the StrongMinds Uganda family in early 2019 as our Adolescent Project Manager. Drawing upon her experience working with young people on sexual and reproductive health, Wendy was tasked with creating and leading…
Christina lives in a refugee settlement in northeastern Uganda. At 28-years old, she has already endured a lifetime of instability. When her family fled Sudan, Christina’s father stayed behind. Her mother still struggles daily to make ends meet. Now, as an adult, Christina is living with HIV, while raising her children without her husband’s support.…
StrongMinds is pleased to launch a new virtual mental health resource: Amani is a WhatsApp chatbot that aims to serve tens of thousands of individuals in Uganda and Zambia struggling with mental health issues under COVID-19. Amani helps users: Explore difficult feelings and learn simple coping strategies. Learn facts about depression, and its causes and…
StrongMInds mourns the loss of a dear friend and supporter in Zambia, John Mayeya, who passed away this weekend from COVID-19. John was the Director of Mental Health within the Zambian Ministry of Health. He was a keen advocate for mental health and a tireless supporter of the work of StrongMinds. It was John who,…
NEW REPORT SHOWS HOUSEHOLD DISTRESS IS ON THE RISE IN UGANDA AND ZAMBIA DUE TO PANDEMIC KAMPALA, UGANDA – The COVID-19 pandemic is triggering an increase in persistent stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms in low-income households in Uganda and Zambia. This comes from a ground-breaking June 2020 survey of 12,000 women in low-income communities in…
StrongMInds welcomes Peter Okwi as our new Uganda Country Director. In this role, Peter will lead all operations in country, supporting a team of staff working across multiple districts to grow, innovate, and collaborate. He will play a pivotal role in shaping StrongMinds’ growth and scale in Uganda and elsewhere in the region. Peter comes to Strong…
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to disrupt life around the world, the toll on our mental health is enormous. At a time when there are calls for social distancing and isolation, StrongMinds’ number one priority continues to be ensuring the women and adolescents we serve in Uganda and Zambia have adequate support. We remain constant…
“In many African families, it’s really the woman who is the backbone of that household. When she is strong, the family thrives. When she is weak or suffering, the entire family suffers.” – Sean Mayberry This is one of the many key insights about mental health in Africa shared by our own Sean Mayberry when he…
A period of grief is normal after the loss of a loved one. But when the grief fails to eventually subside or is compounded by subsequent traumas, depression can often ensue. This is how Gloria, a young woman in Zambia, began her journey with depression. In 2003, when she was six years old, her mother…
In some villages in Zambia, it is considered tradition to inherit a marriage after the death of a sibling or cousin, regardless of your age. This was Mary’s fate when she was 17 years old. Her relatives married her off to her late cousin’s husband, forcing her to quit school. “This marriage arrangement was done…