Rehabilitation of homeless persons with mental health problems on the streets of Kampala Project
SIND Mental Health (SMH), Denmark has worked in partnership with Mental Health Uganda (MHU) on rehabilitation of homeless people with mental health issues on the streets of Kampala since 2010. From the period up to 2018, the project was targeting men and women on the streets to provide first line treatment and counselling, support referral to hospital or reunion with the family. Alongside this was telephone counselling and psycho-social support. The project reached out to 630 men and women from the period between 2015-18 alone. In the process, the project revealed that women with mental illness were facing unique challenges compared to their counterparts. Many were overburdened by meeting basic needs for themselves and their children. Access to reproductive and mental health services was more of a myth than reality. From October 2018, the focus shifted to women with mental health issues on the streets.
MHU then embarked on a project “Access to health is my right”. Under this project, MHU established a drop in shelter at their office. At this centre, women would come take a shower, take a meal and rest. They have also been able to receive first line treatment and counselling/ psycho-social support while at the centre. From October 2018 to April 2020, the project observed 321, and engaged 237 homeless women with mental health issues on the streets. Frome these 19 were successfully reunited with their families. The projects also provided training in soap making to 16 of these women with their care takers.
For the next two years, beginning June 2020, the project is setting up two more satellite centres within the divisions of Kampala. These sites will be at health centres where women can come to receive mental, reproductive and other health services and information. They are also able to get counselling/ psycho-social support.