Training Community Health Workers as Mental Health First Aiders

In many Ugandan communities, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are the most trusted, accessible source of care. Yet when it comes to mental health, they’ve long been left without the tools to respond. Twogere is changing that by equipping CHWs to serve as Mental Health First Aiders—a critical step in closing the treatment gap.

Why CHWs?

CHWs are already embedded in the social fabric of their communities. They are often the first to hear about domestic stress, substance abuse, and emotional crises, especially among youth. However, without the right knowledge, most cases go unrecognised, mismanaged, or referred too late.

In 2024, Twogere trained 180 CHWs across Wakiso districts in basic mental health first aid.

Training modules cover:

• Identification of common mental health conditions

• Basic counseling

• Suicide risk assessment and referral pathways

• Reducing stigma through community conversations

• Self-care and managing emotional fatigue

The sessions are co-delivered by clinical psychologists and peer support specialists, grounded in both evidence and lived experience.

Initial data from our monitoring shows:

• 87% of CHWs trained reported increased ability to recognize mental distress.

• 190+ community referrals for psychosocial support were made within 3 months post-training.

• 1 health centre (HC2) has now included mental health checklists in CHW reporting tools.

Most importantly, communities are beginning to trust mental health conversations because they are hearing them from people they know and respect.

What’s Next

In partnership with local health facilities and village health teams, we are scaling this training to an additional 200 CHWs in Kampala and Mukono by the end of 2025. We're also piloting follow-up mentorship via mobile support groups and peer learning circles.

Training CHWs as mental health first aiders doesn’t just increase access—it restores dignity and humanity in care. When the community becomes part of the solution, stigma breaks, help arrives earlier, and lives are transformed.

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