
Discover Peer Nation
learn about our vision
Despite high levels of mental ill health in Uganda, support is often hard to find. With only one mental health worker per 100,000 people and just 1% of the health budget spent on mental health services, there is a gap in service provision. Community mental health services are not well established due to the lack of qualified staff. Our vision uses Peer Support Workers with lived experience in mental health to bridge the gap between need and provision while empowering both the worker and service user and showing that recovery is possible.
Our objectives are designed to facilitate recovery at the community level

Community
Understanding
Improve the level of community understanding on issues affecting mental health service users

Increase
Knowledge
Increase the capacity, knowledge and confidence of PSWs in managing mental illness using their lived experience

Bridge
The Gap
Bridge the gap between mental health professionals and service users, using their lived experience as a tool

Instill
Hope
Instill hope among the service users by gaining financial independence through income generating activities such as beading and other talent-oriented arts
An estimated 35% of Ugandans have a mental illness
Got a Question?
Frequently asked questions

How do you empower users?
We work with service users to help them develop skills which can generate income, identified as a key goal in mental health recovery in Uganda, through hands-on skills such as beading or other arts based activities.
How do people get your service?
Peer Nation work with professionals to ensure that referrals are made. Peer Support Workers usually make contact with peers while they are still in hospital and continue to work with them in the community.
How are family involved?
Meeting family members and discussing a service user’s recovery is part of the work of the Peer Support Worker and they will work with the peer to organise these meetings.