USAID Invests $1 Million in StrongMinds Uganda
This three-year grant represents the US Government’s first-ever investment in mental health in Uganda.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a three-year, $1 million partnership with StrongMinds Uganda to integrate mental health services across existing USAID programming throughout the country. The announcement came on the heels of a two-day Mental Health Summit, and culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to solidify the commitment.
Through this initiative, StrongMinds Uganda will train lay community members to provide depression screening and treatment to participants in USAID programs centered on child protection, health, education, economic growth, and human rights.
The goals are to:
1. improve the mental health and overall well-being of people in Uganda;
2. increase access to local, evidence-based mental health services by training community members to effectively deliver these services; and
3. contribute to and build the local evidence base around mental health and development, which will in turn inform policy advocacy and decision-making.
This collaboration between StrongMinds and USAID in Uganda represents a significant step toward integrating mental health into global sustainable development efforts.
Mental Health Summit in Uganda
StrongMinds Uganda organized a two-day Mental Health Summit in partnership with USAID Uganda and the World Health Organization in Kampala, Uganda to strengthen collaborative efforts in mental health and advocacy.
The event was a resounding success, with 150 multi-sectoral representatives in attendance. The summit aimed to strengthen cross-sectoral collaborations by demonstrating the pivotal role mental health care can play in improving development outcomes.
Delegates shared experiences, best practices, and innovative approaches to integrating mental health across various domains, including education, the workplace, humanitarian settings, and special populations, such as orphans and vulnerable children.
As a unified front, delegates committed to advocating for increased resources and staffing for mental health interventions, advocating for policies that prioritize mental health, standardizing mental health information and education materials, conducting mental health research to inform evidence-based practices, and strengthening referral pathways.
“The U.S. government recognizes that good mental health is fundamental to achieving and sustaining development objectives, in Uganda and around the world.”
— USAID/Uganda Mission Director Daniele Nyirandutiye
