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Project Summary:
This Global Grant brings accessible, evidence-based mental health care to underserved communities in Ngora District, Uganda. Building on a successful Global Grant in Agago District (2020-2023), the project trains local health workers and peer counselors to integrate mental health into primary care using WHO-endorsed approaches like Interpersonal Counseling (IPC) and Problem Management Plus (PM+).
Special focus is placed on women and girls, who often face compounded mental health challenges due to factors like poverty, caregiving burdens, and exposure to gender-based violence (GBV). By offering counseling, outreach, and stigma-reduction campaigns, the project will expand support systems for women while strengthening mental health care across entire communities.
Timeline & Budget:
The project will run for one year, from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, with a total budget of $80,000.
Identified Need:
In Ngora, depression, anxiety, and trauma are widespread-mirroring Uganda's national trend, where 35% of people are estimated to suffer from mental disorders. With just one psychiatrist per million people, most rural communities depend on traditional healing. GBV is a silent epidemic. Community leaders cite high rates of violence against women, which leads to prolonged emotional suffering with ripple effects across families and entire communities.
Planned Activities:
Train 15+ peer counselors and health workers in IPC and PM+
Deliver 3,000+ counseling sessions across 10 health facilities
Launch community-wide stigma-reduction and help-seeking campaigns
Embed services through MOUs with the District Health Office
Measure outcomes using PHQ-9, WHO-DAS 2.0, and HRQoL-14
Why Rotary? Why Now?
Rotary's first investment in Finemind supported over 3,500 people in Agago District through structured, evidence-based care. This next grant builds on that momentum-bringing care to Ngora, a district with pressing need and strong local partners.
Ngora, located in Eastern Uganda, is home to roughly 200,000 people, most of whom rely on subsistence farming. The district faces high poverty, widespread GBV, and limited mental health access-yet boasts active leadership and robust community structures. This is the moment for scalable, community-rooted action.
Project Objectives:
Expand Access to Care: Train and support peer counselors and health workers to deliver mental health care at 10 local health facilities.
Reduce Stigma: Launch education campaigns to normalize help-seeking.
Support GBV Survivors: Provide trauma-informed counseling to women and girls affected by violence.
Integrate into Primary Care: Embed services within public health systems through close collaboration with the District Health Office.
Measure What Matters: Track and evaluate client outcomes using standardized tools to guide implementation and ensure effectiveness.
Sustainability Plan:
Build Local Capacity: Equip local providers with the skills to deliver care independently using WHO-endorsed protocols.
Embed in Public Systems: Align with the District Health Office and Ministry of Health to institutionalize mental health services.
Foster Government Ownership: Secure MOUs and integrate into national frameworks for continuity and scale.
Strengthen Communities: Empower clients to become advocates-shifting from beneficiaries to agents of change.
Normalize Mental Health Support: Sustain help-seeking behavior beyond the grant through stigma reduction.
Continuously Improve: Use real-time data and feedback to adapt and refine service delivery over time.
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