By Rtn Sylvia Nankya
Several Rotary clubs across District 9213 are creating safe spaces for young people and vulnerable communities to speak openly, seek support and access essential health services as a way of addressing mental health challenges.
Although often invisible, mental health challenges have profound effects on learners and community members in the absence of support and professional care. Yet, in many communities, mental health remains a difficult subject to discuss. Stigma, fear of judgement, limited access to professional services and misconceptions about mental illness can prevent people from seeking help, leaving many to confront their struggles in silence.
This is the gap that Rotary clubs in District 9213 are working to address, using community outreach, school-based awareness programmes, counselling and partnerships with health professionals to bring mental health support closer to the people who need it.
In Mukono, the Rotary Club of Mukono Central is leading efforts to make mental health awareness an integral part of young people's lives through the Your Voice. Your Mind. Your Power Mental Health Initiative.
The initiative brings together seven Rotary clubs and eight Rotaract clubs, alongside schools, professional counsellors, peer educators and young people, to promote emotional wellbeing and create safe spaces for honest conversations about the challenges affecting adolescents.
Catherine Namoma, the President of the Rotary Club of Mukono Central, says that through school outreaches, the programme addresses issues including anxiety, peer pressure, substance abuse, sexual abuse, family challenges and emotional stress. These experiences can affect students' confidence, relationships, academic performance and overall development.
More than 1,800 students have already been reached through programmes at Seeta High School Main Campus and Seeta High School Mbalala Campus, St Charles S.S., Bukeerere, St. Joseph S.S Namagunga, with an additional outreach planned at Seeta High School A Campus, all in Mukono District.
During the sessions, the Rotarians encountered stories of students struggling with anxiety, teenagers facing peer pressure, young people battling substance abuse, among several other issues.
Nasur Wananda, the President of the Rotary Club of Mukono, says that beyond sharing information, the initiative encourages students to recognise mental health challenges, speak openly about their experiences and understand when and where to seek help. He says the clubs are working with a team of professional counsellors and peer educators to help young people understand that asking for support is not a sign of weakness but a positive step towards wellbeing.
President Nasur shares three encounters that laid bare the devastating experiences some young people carry in silence and underscored the urgent need for sustained intervention. In one case, a female student disclosed that she had been sexually abused by her father, resulting in pregnancy and was now engaging in transactional sex during school holidays to provide for her child, a desperate situation that had left her contemplating suicide.
In another case, a male student revealed his involvement in the killing of a rival alongside a group of peers. He wrote, in confidence, that he was being haunted by the act, but could not seek help before because he feared being reprimanded both by his parents and the school authorities.
In the third encounter, a student recounted witnessing their father sexually abuse their mother, an experience that had exposed them to deeply distressing domestic violence.
According to President Wananda, the revelations reinforced the need for mental health outreach in schools to go beyond awareness sessions but to incorporate trauma-informed counselling, clear safeguarding and referral pathways, and sustained psychosocial support. He explained that the ongoing efforts are helping young people understand their emotions, recognise potential risks and learn how to seek support.
The school-based outreaches are conducted jointly by the Rotary Clubs of Mukono, Mukono Central Kyaggwe Heritage, Mukono-Namilyango, Bukeerere, Namugongo, Kayunga and Lugazi Central, working alongside Rotaract clubs associated with Seeta, Bukerere, Naggalama, Uganda Christian University, St. Francis Namataba and Namugongo.
Meanwhile, in Kampala's Banda1 community, the Rotary Club of Kampala Naalya is addressing this need through the Mental Health Support for Adolescents in Ghetto Communities (MHSAG) project. The club officially launched the initiative through a mental health and medical camp held at Acholi Quarters Football Ground, bringing essential health and psychosocial services closer to residents of an underserved urban community.
Dr John Mugisa, the architect of the RC Kampala Naalya Mental Health Project, says that the club's goal is to strengthen mental health awareness, improve psychosocial support systems and expand access to integrated health services for adolescents and young people living in underserved urban communities.
For some residents, the initial motivation was access to free medical care. However, the availability of counselling and psychosocial support alongside general health services created opportunities to introduce mental health conversations in a more familiar and less intimidating setting.
Rtn Mathias Mulumba from the Rotary Club of Kampala-Naalya says that the approach revealed that people find it easier to take the first step towards seeking help when services are accessible, integrated and delivered in a respectful environment,
Rtn Mulumba also observed that the setup encouraged the participation of young men, particularly those who may be reluctant to attend public health activities because of stigma and negative community perceptions associated with substance use or unemployment.
In the aftermath of the outreach, Community members, including Pr. Mike Kinyera, proposed creating dedicated safe spaces and youth-focused sessions where young men could participate without fear of judgement or public labelling. He said that the initiative should listen to young people and recognise that the challenges they face require more than discipline or academic intervention. They also need understanding, guidance and access to appropriate support.
District Governor Gerald Obai commended the initiatives for addressing the growing challenges affecting young people.
“Rotary’s relevance is measured by the impact we create in our communities. I commend the work done by Rotary and its partners for this timely Mental Health Initiative in schools and communities, which addresses growing challenges among young people, including drug abuse and emotional wellbeing. Through awareness and open conversations, we are helping create safer environments where young people can thrive,” he said.