Uganda | StrongMinds
Skip to the content

Uganda

Left Flourish

Our Work in Uganda 

StrongMinds works alongside government entities throughout Uganda to expand access to depression treatment for adults and adolescents in communities, schools, health facilities, refugee settlements, and prisons.

 

Government partners

  • Ministry of Health
  • Ministry of Education and Sports
  • Uganda Prison Service
  • Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
  • Office of the Prime Minister

Good mental health helps people, families, and communities thrive.
Learn about depression

A depression treatment model with the potential to reach millions across Africa

StrongMinds began working in Uganda in 2013, introducing a scalable, locally adapted group interpersonal therapy (IPT-G) model as a practical, cost-effective way to treat depression in communities with little or no access to mental health professionals.

In the early years, StrongMinds managed every part of the program: recruiting participants, training and supervising facilitators, collecting data, and monitoring quality. This hands-on approach allowed us to demonstrate that group therapy, led by trained community members, could produce meaningful and lasting results in a Ugandan context.

As people recovered, families and communities saw the difference. Former participants shared their experiences, public understanding of depression grew, and trust in the model deepened. Since then, StrongMinds has reached more than one million people with depression treatment across Uganda.

Making treatment simpler and more scalable

At the same time, StrongMinds continued improving the treatment model so it could reach more people at lower cost. Therapy groups shifted from being led by StrongMinds staff to trained community volunteers, including former participants whose lived experience helps  build trust. Treatment was shortened from 16 weeks to six, making it possible for many more people to participate while maintaining strong results.

Shifting from direct services to government-led delivery

Our success also revealed the limits of an NGO-led model. Every new district required more StrongMinds staff, funding, and supervision. No single organization, however committed, could reach everyone who needed care on its own. A different approach was needed.

Uganda already has community health workers, teachers, health facilities, prisons, local governments, and national information systems with deep roots in the communities they serve. In 2022, StrongMinds began shifting from direct implementer to technical partner—helping government institutions integrate depression treatment into the services people already know and trust.

Learn more about how we partner with governments.
Partnering with governments

A Multisectoral Approach to Mental Health

Working across government entities

Depression touches every part of life. It can affect school attendance, maternal health, treatment adherence, family stability, livelihoods, and a person’s ability to participate fully in their community.

That is why StrongMinds works across government, helping ministries and districts integrate depression treatment into the public services people already use and trust.
Ministry of Health

Uganda’s Ministry of Health partners with StrongMinds to expand access to depression care by combining government leadership with technical expertise. The Ministry provides clinic space, integrates IPT-G into national health plans, and builds partnerships, while StrongMinds trains staff, delivers therapy, and shares evidence. This model demonstrates how governments can strengthen health systems, reach more people, and improve mental health in collaboration with StrongMinds, while building capacity to take full ownership of the programs.

Ministry of Education and Sports

In Uganda’s schools, the Ministry of Education and Sports partners with StrongMinds to provide mental health to adolescents in schools. In 2022, the Ministry issued a national circular requiring schools to dedicate weekly time for mental health support and later co-developed supervision guidelines to ensure quality delivery of group talk therapy (IPT-G). With StrongMinds training teachers, supporting peer facilitators, and reducing stigma across school communities, the partnership is helping more students stay in school, cope with challenges, and succeed academically.

Uganda Prison Service

StrongMinds works with the Uganda Prison Service (a department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs) to make mental health care available in prisons. Inmates who complete group therapy are trained to lead new groups, while prison staff provide oversight and support. This approach has improved the well-being of prisoners and staff, reduced suicide and conflict, and helped people reconnect with their families. The goal is for the Uganda Prison Service to take full ownership of program implementation, with StrongMinds continuing to provide training and technical support.

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development

The Ministry partners with StrongMinds to support survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, particularly women. StrongMinds provides group therapy and referral services, while the Ministry connects vulnerable groups to care. The partnership is now being formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding, ensuring coordination and sustainability. Together, they are expanding access to mental health services for those most at risk.

The Office of the Prime Minister

StrongMinds partners with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health, local governments, and NGOs to treat depression and build resilience in communities affected by conflict and disasters. In emergencies, the Office of the Prime Minister provides security, access, and updated information on needs.

  • In Lamwo District, StrongMinds trained community volunteers to lead therapy groups for refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • In Kotido District, which is experiencing a devastating drought, StrongMinds has worked with Ministry of Health volunteers to provide therapy in communities facing climate change and extreme weather.
  • In the Mbale District, StrongMinds has also worked with Ministry of Health volunteers and the International Red Cross to provide rapid response mental health services to communities affected by landslides and flooding.
Civil Society Organizations

StrongMinds also works with civil society groups to help their staff understand depression, emotional well-being, and coping strategies. We provide immediate support to those in distress and teach organizations psychological first aid, an evidence-based approach that offers emotional and practical support in the wake of trauma.

Government Working Groups

In addition to providing direct services and training to government agencies, StrongMinds also serves on multiple government working groups to coordinate activities across sectors.

Working groups include:

  • The Mental Health and Psychosocial Working Group (Ministry of Health) – coordinates refugee response across the health sector.
  • The Guidance and Counseling Technical Working Group (Ministry of Education and Sports) – provides strategic leadership and guidance on counseling, including addressing issues related to HIV/AIDS.
  • Mental Health and Climate Change Working Group (Ministry of Health) – Highlights the effects of climate change on mental health.
  • National Task Force on the HIV and AIDS Policy Review (Ministry of Health) – Provides policy and strategic guidance for the country’s HIV/AIDS response.

Model Districts

Demonstrating effective government integration

StrongMinds first tested this approach in Masaka District, working through a multisectoral committee that included representatives from health, education, internal affairs, local government, and the Office of the Prime Minister.

The organization also changed how it operated locally. Instead of maintaining a district office with five or six StrongMinds employees, one staff member was embedded within the district government. That person participated in the same planning and budget meetings where local priorities and resources were decided.

StrongMinds and the district introduced a locally owned scorecard to track whether mental health was becoming part of routine government operations. It measured practical indicators such as:

  • whether the district had appointed a mental health focal person;
  • whether funding had been allocated;
  • and whether community-level data was being collected.

Masaka undertook steps to improve its score from 25 percent to 50 percent. More importantly, the district owned both the tool and the results.

Masaka’s commitment to self-sustaining mental health integration has resulted in the recent appointment of a new dedicated a mental health focal person: an existing government employee who could coordinate integration, advocate for resources, and represent mental health in district planning. 

Our Vision for 2035

Making depression treatment a permanent part of public systems across Uganda

Uganda’s progress shows what is possible when effective treatment is embedded within existing public infrastructure. The next phase of our work is simplifying the model and its tools, is to strengthen government supervision, data collection, planning, and financing so that depression treatment can become a routine, nationally led service.

StrongMinds will support that transition by training government teams, strengthening systems, safeguarding quality, and building the evidence needed to guide national scale-up.

How do we get there?

We are currently developing a new, leaner, lightweight therapy model, rooted in the IPT-G framework. With this new model, we hope to bringing the per-person cost of therapy delivery down to under US$1, to facilitate full government ownership at a price point that can be absorbed.

Donor investment makes this work possible, giving us the runway to help government take on greater responsibility over time and reach people wherever they are—in a health facility, a classroom, a prison, or their own community.

“I was very sad and hopeless… [Group sessions] gave me something to do, something to look forward to…I used to quarrel and fight often, but lately, I do none of that. I no longer talk to myself like I used to. I feel good about myself and am no longer depressed. I used to be so stressed and thin back then, but look at me now…I look better, stress-free, and relaxed.”

 

– Prossy, a South Sudanese refugee living in Palabek Settlement 

Uganda Country Brief

An overview that highlights StrongMinds’ work in Uganda—showcasing government partnerships, programs, and impact in expanding access to mental health care.

Read the Report

Circular 20

This case study highlights how youth-led advocacy in Uganda secured Circular 20, a landmark policy requiring weekly mental health education in schools, and why adolescent mental health is essential for learning and well-being.

Read the Case Study

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.