11/14/2025
In January 2026, I have the profound opportunity to travel with J1:10 Ministries to Uganda to bring vital mental health trauma-informed education to children and communities suffering from the devastating effects of poverty, displacement, and trauma.
Uganda faces a critical mental health crisis. Nearly 1 in 4 Ugandans live with a mental disorder, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD—conditions worsened by years of conflict, economic hardship, and limited access to care. Depression affects as many as 30.2% of adults and anxiety 22.2%, with youth and out-of-school children particularly vulnerable. Tragically, children aging out of school near the South Sudan border are at high risk of su***de due to poverty and trauma.
My journey will begin with a week in Gulu and Otici Village, where I will work directly with school children who have experienced unimaginable hardship. We aim to provide healing through the Nichols Center Grow Again trauma-informed curriculum, teaching universal principles of wellness and recovery. I will also travel to Mbarara to serve refugee children from Congo, survivors of violence and displacement, and support women in a vocational school who have endured r**e and abuse. Our work will extend to college students across Uganda, marking the Nichols Center’s first international implementation of this critical mental health curriculum.
