Gulu City students trained in mental health first aid

Students pose for a photo after the mental health first aid training. PHOTO URN

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thirty secondary school students in Gulu City, were on Saturday trained to provide Mental Health First Aid, to spearhead mental health clubs within their schools.

This training, which took place at the Gulu University Multifunctional Laboratory, was championed by Mind Body and Soul (MBS), to destigmatize mental health issues and provide peer-to-peer support among adolescents.

Dr. Justine Nakimuli Odwongo, the CEO of MBS, explained that the training of mental health first aiders was inspired by the pressing need for mental health awareness, especially in post-conflict and poor regions like northern Uganda, and the growing infiltration of drug cartels targeting young people between the ages of 12-19 in schools.

A baseline study conducted in August 2022 revealed that 64.5% of students in this age group experienced mental health issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, the project trained the students from Gulu High School, Sacred Heart Girls’ Secondary School, Layibi High School and Bishop Angelo Negri College, as mental health first aiders.

The mental health first aiders are equipped with tips to identify peers exhibiting signs of mental illness, fostering a supportive environment within schools, and in general, serving as the first line of support for their peers.

Dr. Nakimuli explained the training of mental health first aiders is to encourage open conversations about mental health to normalize seeking help and minimize stigma, as well as connecting students exhibiting signs of mental illness to counselors in their respective schools, and professional mental health service providers when necessary.

From next week, the team from MBS will be going to the four schools twice a week to support them to do the mental health clubs to observe, monitor, and after six months, they will evaluate what is working and what is not.

“We have actually printed a manual that they use to do this. And for us the idea is if it works well, we shall see who else to get on board,” Dr. Nakimuli said.

A month ago, the participating schools formed mental health clubs, which will be headed by the mental health first aiders.

The mental health club will help them to encourage their fellow students and make them understand the importance of mental health, the importance of being healthy mentally.

Jacinta Asingwire, a counselor at Sacred Heart Girls’ School said mental health club will enable the first aiders encourage their fellow students, and make them understand the importance of being healthy mentally.

Asingwire explained that many circumstances predispose students to mental illnesses, including inadequate scholastic materials and even the change in curriculum.

Monalisa Angel Lawino, a student of sacred Heart, who participated in the training, is hopeful that it will help many student facing difficulties but are unable to share them with adults; for fear that, they will not understand.

Kidega Andrew, a student of Layibi High School, said on many occasions students do not pay attention to peers showing signs of mental illness, but fail to support them because of lack of knowledge.

Kidega is grateful that his teacher also attended the training, and will support the first aiders in passing the message on mental health to the highest authorities in the school.

Uganda is currently undergoing a mental health crisis with statistics indicating that 14% of the population suffers from mental illness, with northern Uganda considered as the summit of the problem.

Despite this huge problem, the government allocates only 1% of the national budget towards the management of mental illness.

In this project, MBS is partnering with Pacta Uganda, Gulu Archdiocese, Gulu University and Gulu regional referral Hospital, to be able to identify mental illness early, for easier management.

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