Support Women in Uganda to flee Domestic Violence

For the past few months, Uganda was hit by an alarming increase in the cost of living. Ugandans have been forced to spend twice as much to afford necessities like fuel, detergents, sugar and food, among other household commodities. According the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics, food inflation alone increased to 23.7% in March and the prices of soap had gone by 85% its normal market.  The long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the raging war in Ukraine are among the causes highlighted by the local authorities for this sharp increase. As a result, most people are struggling to make end meets and these aggravated financial pressures are profoundly impacting households. The effects are rippling through the multiple contexts in which girls and women are situated and are sadly associated with increased rates of family conflict, child neglect and abuse, and intimate partner violence. As a result, our work to provide support for survivors of violence and abuse also multiplied.

The stress that the economic downturn has produced is also causing increasing problems in terms of anxiety, lowered self-esteem and other emotional and behavioral difficulties. At the start of May, a report from the Ministry of Health revealed that about 14 million Ugandans suffer from mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety and depression but many cannot open up to family members or friends. Privately, the average cost of counselling services in Uganda ranges from Shs40,000 to Shs100,000 per session according to a 2021 report by Uganda Counseling Association (UCA).  When seeing a counsellor in person, you are likely to be billed per session, which poses a big challenge to the general population. Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of health in Uganda yet it severely impacts one’s wellbeing and livelihood. That is why the work of our professional counsellors is proving vital in providing psychosocial guidance and support in our communities. VOWU’s counselling, mentoring and mediation work has exponentially grown. We are also putting in place interventions that are low-cost but effective in terms of prevention, treating and fighting stigma among the patients.  A lack of knowledge is one of the key things that are aggravating mental health problems. Both our one-on-one counselling method and our community awareness work play a crucial role in promoting mental health awareness, reducing stigma and discrimination, supporting recovery and social inclusion, and preventing mental disorders. We encourage our clients to talk about mental health issues openly, we educate on the warning signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and we take a holistic approach to help improve their mental wellbeing.  

Also, VOWU’s Mother’s Care Medical Centre is proving to be a unique way of reaching the vulnerable members of communities who are often consistently left out of access to health care due to distance, transport costs, lack of money for treatment, stigma, inaccessible facilities and language barriers at health centres.  It is also facilitating access to safe health services for those that would want to prioritize treatment by the traditional healers. Our community health clinic is providing quality medical care with dignity and confidentiality, delivering essential health services to vulnerable women immediately, thus avoiding fatal outcomes or complications from delays. Mother’s Care Medical Centre is also providing essential counselling and guidance on illnesses and other preventive health care choices including family planning, contraceptives, immunization and appropriate referrals.

To all our generous donors and friends, thank you for your continued commitment to VOWU.  Only with true solidarity and unity will we will achieve our shared goals and uphold our values.