Scaling School-Based Mental Health Support Through Mental Health Clubs

In Uganda, 1 in 4 adolescents experiences a significant mental health challenge, yet over 80% of these go untreated due to stigma, low mental health literacy, and a lack of school-based psychosocial support. To address this gap, Mental Health Clubs have emerged as a practical, peer-led intervention integrated within the school ecosystem.

Mental Health Clubs are structured platforms established within schools to promote psychosocial wellbeing, facilitate peer support, and enhance early detection and referral of mental health concerns. Given that students spend over 70% of their time in school, leveraging this setting offers scalable, preventive impact.

Each club focuses on five strategic areas:

1. Mental Health Literacy – using validated toolkits to build student knowledge.

2. Peer Support – fostering non-clinical early response through peer-led conversations.

3. Psychoeducation Campaigns – school-wide efforts to normalize mental health dialogue.

4. Life Skills Development – improving problem-solving, resilience, and empathy.

5. Referral Linkage – connecting students with formal services where risk is identified.

Implementation Model

At Twogere, we operationalize a low-resource, high-impact model. We train two student leaders and one teacher per school (minimum 3 per cluster) using a 2-day standardized training. Clubs meet biweekly, guided by a structured facilitation guide. In 2024, we supported the establishment of 12 Mental Health Clubs across Kampala city, directly engaging over 1,500 students. Of these, 7% sought further psychosocial support following club sessions, demonstrating increased help-seeking behavior.

Evidence of Impact

• 94% of club members showed improved mental health knowledge (pre-post assessment).

• 72% reported reduced stigma around discussing emotional distress.

• 53% of teachers observed improved classroom behavior and emotional self-regulation among club participants.

• 100% of schools retained their clubs beyond the pilot period, indicating sustainability and school ownership.

  
  

Policy Alignment

This intervention aligns with Uganda’s National School Health Policy (2018) and the WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan (2013–2030), contributing to SDG 3.4 on promoting mental health and wellbeing.

Strategic Outlook

Scaling Mental Health Clubs nationally could provide low-cost, youth-led mental health promotion in over 70% of secondary schools. Twogere is currently engaging with local governments and education sector actors to integrate the model into school improvement plans.

---

Twogere is a youth-led organization dedicated to reducing the mental health treatment gap among young people in Uganda through innovative, community-driven approaches.