JULIUS MUHUMUZA

Church of Uganda has partnered with “You Belong Uganda” a Civil Society that creates awareness about mental health issues as well as care for people affected by mental health. The partnership with the Church of Uganda aims at spreading information about early signs of mental illness in the communities to help “you Belong Uganda” to be able to identify the patients and refer them to health facilities for treatment.

According to the report presented to the Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health, a staggering 14 million Ugandans are currently afflicted by mental disorders, constituting 22.9 per cent of children and 24.2 per cent of adults.

In a move to have statistics reduced, Today Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat officials have had engagement with “You Belong Uganda” a civil Society that creates awareness about mental health issues as well as care for people affected by mental health with a motive of spreading information of early signs of mental illness in the communities for identification of patients for better referral to health facilities.

Provincial Secretary Church of Uganda Rev. Canon Captain William Ongeng says that mental health is one of the challenges in the country, therefore, the church of Uganda's partnering with civil society fraternity is very crucial.

Rev. Ongeng added that Namirembe Diocese and Kampala Diocese are to work as pilot studies in the awareness campaign and it will later be extended to other Dioceses in the province.

He pointed out that when dealing with the issue of Mental Illness, the key focus should be on relationships, as a significant number of these illnesses stem from poor relationships within diverse communities.

Edith Kebirungi Senior Worker under You Belong Uganda says that pattering with the Church of Uganda will allow them to create awareness about mental health and provide care for people affected by mental health.

In addition, she highlights their objective of raising awareness about the initial symptoms of mental illness, empowering communities to identify individuals experiencing these signs and guide them towards necessary treatment.

Additionally, Kebirungi emphasizes the prevalence of mental illness among community members, with a considerable number of individuals still lacking access to necessary treatment. Consequently, this poses a pressing challenge that necessitates immediate attention.

Some of the root causes of Mental Illness are issues like Poverty, Lack of Employment among others.

Kebirungi advised the public that in case of any sign of mental illness, they need to seek treatment and live a functional life.

She revealed how some people can notice that they have mental illness to seek treatment, Furthermore, she called upon communities to eradicate the stigmatization associated with mental illnesses.