Introduction: Mental Health Uganda (MHU) is an indigenous, non-governmental, membership-based disabled people’s organisation; an organisation of people with a lived experience of mental health problems. SOS Uganda, on the other hand, is a child-focused, social development, non-governmental organisation with a strong reputation for fulfilling children’s right to quality care and protection, education and health.
The 2 partners are implementing a 3-year project from 2023, primarily targeting young people between the ages of 13 to 19 years in selected secondary schools in Gulu and Wakiso districts. The project seeks to: normalize mental health conversations, reduce stigma and discrimination and facilitate access to psychosocial support in the targeted schools. Youth active participation and empowerment is a key component of the project, ensuring that youth lead the development and implementation of project activities.
Through this project, the partners seek to further expand and consolidate the existing MHU peer-to-peer community structures by recruiting and providing relevant training to youth peers dubbed ‘Mentor Champions’. The Mentor Champions should have a lived experience of Mental Health Problems so that they can mentor/support ‘Champions’, to be selected from schools (will also be trained to support peers within the schools), to normalize mental health conversations in a school environment. This is to also promote community mental health care or services as provided for in the Mental Health Act, 2019 as part of the bigger picture for MHU.
Two teachers (1M, 1F) per school will also be selected and trained (together with the Mentor Champions). The intention is to sustain the gains of the project in schools when the students have left. The teachers will also attend to cases that are challenging to the Mental Health Champions and make appropriate referrals alongside Mentor Champions.
Context:
To support this Mentor Champions’ and Teachers’ training, MHU already developed a training manual adapted to the category of participants, including among topics: early detection of mental health problems, how to provide psychological first aid, safeguarding, referrals, how to facilitate peer support groups, self-care, stigma and discrimination, and rights of persons with mental health problems.
MHU will hire 2 consultants to deliver this training under 2 lots.
Lot 1: A consultant to deliver the Mentor Champions’ training in Wakiso/Kampala District;
Lot 2: A consultant to deliver the Mentor Champions’ training in Gulu District.
Note: All applicants for this consultancy must indicate clearly which Lot they are applying for and one consultant cannot apply for both Lots. Objective of the assignment: To deliver a Community Volunteers’ (Mentor Champions) and Teachers’ training on mental health, in Gulu and Wakiso distircts.