Benedict Mukoni, ARU Communication Officer
Through a partnership and collaboration between the Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU) and LifeNet International (LN), more than 200 sisters across Uganda have been equipped with knowledge and skills to conduct Mental Health and matters on family dynamics
The comprehensive training initiative aims to empower Sisters—many of whom serve in healthcare, pastoral care, and community outreach—to respond effectively to the growing mental health challenges affecting individuals and families, especially in underserved communities and vulnerable populations in Uganda and beyond.
Participants included Sisters from various age groups and leadership positions, including Superiors General, healthcare workers, and pastoral ministers. Regardless of their background, each Sister received practical skills to support psychological resilience, promote mental well-being, address family-related concerns and and balancing faith with service in the different dioceses across the country.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health issues are on the rise globally. Contributing factors include the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing social isolation, and the pressures of modern life—including the impact of social media.
Mrs. Sarah Muhanguzi, Administration Officer at LifeNet International, emphasized the urgency of regular mental health engagement:
“You can’t pause mental health issues for a year. These trainings are a great start, but they must be ongoing to bear real fruit,” she noted.
According to the administration officer of LN, Mrs. Sarah Muhanguzi, the trainings should be more frequent in order to bear more fruits. “You can’t pause mental health issues for one year. The trainings are good for a start, but not enough.” She advised.
Through collaboration with religious Sisters Counsellors Network Initiative – Uganda, LN incorporates mental health awareness and family dynamics training covering issues like; Psychosocial resilience for sisters serving in healthcare, Supporting mental well-being for patients and care-givers and Vocational wellness and balancing faith with service in the different dioceses across the country.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health issues are increasing worldwide. In recent times the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the increased use of social media have been implicated. Loneliness and isolation and lack of access to care have been also linked to mental health issues.
The initiative is being funded by the Hilton Foundation to train Catholic Sisters to help mitigate on the mental health issue.
