About Us

Reducing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Mental health stigma can be divided into two distinct types: social stigma is characterized by prejudicial attitudes and discriminating behaviour directed towards individuals with mental health problems as a result of the psychiatric label they have been given.

In contrast, perceived stigma or self-stigma is the internalizing by the mental health sufferer of their perceptions of discrimination (Link, Cullen, Struening & Shrout, 1989), and perceived stigma can significantly affect feelings of shame and lead to poorer treatment outcomes (Perlick, Rosenheck, Clarkin, Sirey et al., 2001).

The need

450

million people globally prone to suffering mental health problem today

10

million people in Uganda that are likely to suffer a mental health issue

01

national referral mental hospital to serve a population of 40 million

85

% have no access to treatment or information regarding mental health

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Our Story

Next time you’re in a group, look around. One of every four people in the room will have a mental health issue at some point in their life. When you widen the circle to include those of us who love, work, or interact with people experiencing a mental health issue, it’s safe to say mental illness touches us all in one way or another. Despite its prevalence, having a mental health crisis is still a source of shame for nearly everyone. The World Health Organization (WHO) says two thirds of those with a mental illness will never seek help from a health professional. In Uganda, Clear Yo Mind is a social enterprise working to change that narrative.

Clear Yo Mind was inspired during a time of darkness, self-stigma, anguish, and deep depression. Our Founders determined to create a society where nobody suffering from depression would ever have to suffer the same fate – failure to access professional help at the point in time they need it the most. Uganda has only 1 national mental health referral hospital (Butabika hospital) and approximately 34 psychiatrists for a population of 38 million people, yet the number of mental cases seems to be increasing due to alcohol and drug abuse.

Clear Yo Mind focuses on reducing the stigma surrounding mental health by raising awareness of mental health issues, with a focus on depression which is silently eating away at our society without regard to age, race, socioeconomic status, or any other factors sometimes society pegs it to.

In 2020, Clear Yo Mind received the Rotaract Club Award for Vocational Service.

In 2019, Clear Yo Mind was recognized by President Barack Obama for our role in improving the mental health sector of Uganda.

In 2018, Clear Yo Mind won the prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award.

Our Core Crew

Elizabeth Kasujja

CEO & CO-FOUNDER

Elizabeth leads the strategic direction of Clear Yo Mind, identifying and securing key partnerships, as well as bringing on board other stakeholders.

Apollo Kibirige

COO & CO-FOUNDER

Apollo leads on all operations. He leads offline and online branding, networking and recruitment, and represents Clear Yo Mind at stakeholder meetings and forums.

Cedrick Karibwende

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Cedrick manages Clear Yo Mind’s finances. He is responsible for financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping and financial reporting.

Kate Griffin

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT

Kate supports Clear Yo Mind in its operations. She is responsible for analyzing and improving organizational processes and improving productivity and efficiency.

Gideon Byamukama

WEB DEVELOPER

Gideon is the web systems developer and is responsible for establishing the counselling platform system, and will take lead on the mobile and web apps development.

Nikki Chinen

CONSULTANT

Nikki provides support for the set-up of Uganda’s first mental health hotline. She is responsible for updates the related documentation and leads efforts to source for funding of the hotline.