StrongMinds

10/20/2026

Tomorrow, the East African Mental Health Summit begins in Kampala, and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of it. 🌎

Hosted by Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the summit brings together government leaders, researchers, practitioners, and advocates from across the region to talk about what it will take to make mental health care a reality for everyone who needs it.

Over the coming days, we’ll hear from people working on mental health at every level, from national policy to community care. These are the conversations that shape what’s possible for millions of people in East Africa, and we’re grateful to be in the room for them.

Can’t make it to Kampala? You can still join virtually. Sessions will be livestreamed starting at 9:00 AM EAT.

Watch in English: https://youtube.com/live/A-azeLo4Gfg?feature=share
Watch in French: https://youtube.com/live/E-QUuoIt7nI?feature=share

We hope you’ll tune in.

10/16/2026

Next week, leaders from across East Africa will gather in Kampala for the East African Mental Health Summit 2026, hosted by Uganda’s Ministry of Health. We’re excited to be part of it.

This year’s theme, “Making mental health and wellbeing a cross-sectoral priority in East Africa,” reflects what we see every day in our work across the region. Depression care reaches the most people when it’s woven into the systems communities already rely on. That’s why we partner with governments to bring community-based talk therapy closer to home and to integrate mental health into primary care.

Real progress depends on leadership at every level, and this year’s speakers show just how seriously the region is taking that challenge. We’re especially looking forward to hearing from:

🔹 Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, Minister of Health, Uganda
🔹 Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs
🔹 Prof. Vincent Sezibera, Director, Centre for Mental Health, University of Kigali Rwanda

When ministries, researchers, and community partners come to the same table, mental health stops being a side issue and becomes part of how a region plans its future. We can’t wait to learn, share, and keep that momentum going.

10/15/2026

Su***de prevention isn’t a one-day conversation. As we reflect on World Su***de Prevention Day, we’re looking back on a powerful moment from last month in Nairobi.

On September 10th, we joined the Ministry of Health, Nairobi City County Government, and partners to mark World Su***de Prevention Day with an awareness walk from Greenpark Terminus through the C*D.

More than 1,000 people joined us, most of them young people, using song, dance, and conversation to help change the narrative around su***de. Along the way, we shared stickers and bookmarks with QR codes linking to mental health resources, so support is never more than a scan away.

We also honored Charity Muturi for her tireless advocacy toward decriminalizing attempted su***de in Kenya. We closed the day with a candle-lighting ceremony and a moment of silence for those we have lost.

The conversation continues every day. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. Help is available.

***dePrevention

10/14/2026

On October 8th, we joined the Mombasa County Department of Health and partners to mark World Mental Health Day, walking alongside our IPT-G facilitators and community members in support of mental health.

The heart of the day was the people who shared their own stories of depression, healing, and hope through testimonies, skits, and poems. Their courage reminds us that recovery is possible and no one has to walk the journey alone.

We also celebrated our IPT-G facilitators, who create safe spaces for people to talk, connect, and heal, as they received their certificates.

10/13/2026

This past weekend, riders from Effective Altruism Netherlands and SV Machiavelli took on a sponsored bike ride for StrongMinds, and we’re so grateful for their energy and commitment.

“We’re so appreciative of Effective Altruism Netherlands and SV Machiavelli’s support for StrongMinds,” said Wonu Owoade, our Regional Development Director for Europe. “Despite heavy rain last Sunday, they cycled lap after lap in our sponsored bike ride, raising funds and awareness for community-based depression treatment, and inspiring their sponsors to consider effective giving. Thank you!”

James Herbert, Co-Director of Effective Altruism Netherlands, shared: “At Effective Altruism Netherlands we’re all about supporting effective solutions to large and neglected problems, so it was an honor to make our small contribution to StrongMinds’ vital work.”

A huge thank you to our riders and to everyone who sponsored them.

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” is close to our hearts.

At StrongMinds, recovery happens in community. Our therapy groups bring neighbors together, led by trained facilitators from their own communities, to talk openly about depression, share what they’re going through, and support one another through it.

In those groups, lived experience isn’t just heard; it's the foundation of healing. When people realize they aren’t alone, stigma starts to lose its grip.

Across Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi, we’ve seen what’s possible when mental health care is built around people and the communities they belong to.

Today, lean on your community, and let them lean on you.

10/02/2026

Today, our Uganda Country Director, Vincent Mujune, led a session for the Country Directors Forum on navigating high-stakes stress. The starting premise: as a supervisor, you can have more influence on your team's mental health than their therapist does.

We began where we always begin, with an honest check-in. Using the emotion cards used by all of our groups, the room opened up quickly, a reminder that leaders need space to process stress too.

Together, we looked at the warning signs of high-stakes stress and practical ways to address it for individuals, between colleagues, and across organizational structures.

At StrongMinds, we know depression is treatable and that the right support changes lives. That support doesn't only come from clinics; it can also come from workplaces and the people who lead them.

Thank you to the Country Directors forum and to all attendees for being so open. When well-being is prioritized at the top, it makes room for everyone else.

09/14/2026

Meet Rose: a community mobilizer and StrongMinds group therapy facilitator who has spent more than two decades at the heart of community life in Kabwe, Zambia.

Rose talks about what it took to bring mental health support into a community that didn't always have the words for it, and how stigma has shifted over time. She shares how she helps men and women open up in different ways, what it's like to lead a therapy group, and how she navigates her own well-being while supporting others through theirs.

She also opens up about the everyday challenges facing her community and what continues to motivate her after all these years of service.

This is what a StrongMinds facilitator looks like: someone the community already trusts, trained to bring life-changing mental health care into spaces that are already theirs.

Read our full conversation with Rose. 👇

Rose has spent more than two decades at the heart of community work in Kabwe, Zambia, in the same area where she was born and...

09/10/2026

Today, StrongMinds took the conversation on su***de prevention to a national stage in Uganda.

Country Director Vincent Mujune and Dr. Hafsa Lukwata, Assistant Commissioner for Mental Health and Control of Substance Use at Uganda's Ministry of Health, joined NBS TV's "Morning Breeze" to discuss World Su***de Prevention Day and the upcoming 2nd East African Mental Health Summit. As one of Uganda's largest television stations, NBS gave this conversation reach into homes across the country, exactly the kind of visibility this issue needs.

The appearance followed a press conference earlier today at our Kampala office, where we came together with partners from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Office of the Prime Minister to help "Change the Narrative" on su***de prevention, this year's World Su***de Prevention Day theme.

Changing the narrative starts with conversations like these. Thank you to everyone who joined us today to make su***de prevention a national priority.

***dePreventionDay2026