Operation Dayswork Project 2022 – Mental illness in Uganda
In March 2022, Norwegian students decided that Youth Mental Health Norway’s project ,together with SOS Children's Villages, would be the focus of this year's ODW project. This means that throughout 2022, hundreds of youth across Norway will raise money for our project "Taboo, Shame and Mental Health in Uganda".
Mental health in Uganda
Stigma and shame prevent people talking about mental health problems in Uganda. Many young people are therefore left to deal with difficult emotions alone. Furthermore, mental illness means that many young people do not complete their education and job opportunities later in life are therefore limited.
What will the project do?
This year’s ODW project works towards breaking down the stigma around mental health, supports young people with access to professionals and works politically to change the conditions for those affected by poor mental health in Uganda.
1: We will normalize mental health problems and break down the stigma
The lives of young people struggling with mental illness are made even more difficult by old-fashioned attitudes and discrimination.
At 10 different schools in Uganda, we are recruiting a group of young people who will plan and carry out their own information campaign on mental health. Through these campaigns, we will showcase that mental health problems are completely normal in a teenagers life, and something we should talk about, not hide.
2: We will provide a low-threshold, more accessible mental health service
At the same 10 schools, we will establish a low-threshold service where 5,500 young people who are struggling, will have someone to talk to when life becomes difficult, without worrying about the shame and stigma. In Uganda, there are very few places where young people can go to talk to someone if they need to. Due to stigma and prejudice, no one talks about mental health problems, and therefore schools have very little knowledge about how to deal with this. This is something we want to do something about!
3: We will influence the politicians in Uganda to prioritize young people’s mental health
We must have politicians on our team! If politicians do not care about young people’s mental health, it will be impossible to change the current situation. Politicians have the influence and decision making power to decide which issues to prioritize in Uganda.
There are 45 million people living in Uganda, but there are only 35 psychologists. It is the politicians in Uganda who must do something about the bigger picture, we will work to make them understand the seriousness of this state of affairs.
Our ten partner schools will also recruit young people to be in a working group that will drive political influence and lobby the health authorities to promote young people’s right to mental health services in Uganda.
How can you get involved?
We need volunteers! Read more here if you want to contribute to this year’s ODWs project.
The ODWs collaborates with the business community!
- Is your beach zone full of plastic?
- Are there few cultural events in the local area?
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The ODW has contact with thousands of students who want to benefit from it.
There are countless ways in which the business community can support the ODW. If you are unsure of how, feel free to contact us.
Fill in the form below and the ODW will fix the rest!
There are several ways you can contribute to this years project. You can read more about it on the ODW’s website.
