For my university dissertation, I am currently staying with a charity in Fort Portal, Uganda, called the Fort Healthy Mind Initiative (FHMI). This charity works to offer psycho-social help, counselling, and mental health support to a huge area, which has not received any support of this kind before. They are already doing so much with what they have, but they desperately need donations to continue all their good work.
And the work of FHMI can be the difference between life and death. One child in a school they work with unfortunately took their own life recently, and in the area suicidal ideation is high, especially among children, due to family issues such as abuse and negligence, hunger, and feelings of hopelessness. Through therapy and counselling FHMI can help a limited number of children to fight these conditions, but without more funding they cannot reach everyone. Without more support it is highly likely, if not inevitable, that more lives will be lost because of mental health issues that are so pervasive in this area. This is especially important as only 1% of health funding in Uganda goes towards mental health, and so FHMI is one of the few organisations who are helping Ugandans with these issues.
Any donations received will go towards two things:
The first is to buy sewing machines for a tailoring workshop they run for teen mothers. These girls become pregnant at as young an age as 14, and with little education or support they struggle to get enough money for them and their baby to survive. With the tailoring workshop FHMI provides, a group of mothers is now learning a skill, so they can make an income in the future and provide for themselves and their children. However, an additional 14 sewing machines are needed to teach all the mothers in the group. These sewing machines will also allow FHMI to gain a steady income, as the profit for clothes made and sold in these workshops will be split between the charity and the organisation, allowing them to continue operating and expanding in the future.
The second thing your money will go towards is a car. Currently, the charity uses two motorbikes to get around. But roads in Uganda are poorly kept and even dangerous to use, and it is not realistic for the charity to continue using just motorbikes in their work, especially as they aim to cover more territory, including many rural areas that have no mental health awareness or support. A car would allow the charity to continue providing the support they need and help even more people who are desperately in need.
This cause may seem far away to some, but the need is great. The work this organisation does saves lives. Any donation you can give would be much appreciated.