Mental Health Uganda (MHU) is an indigenous organization established in 1997 and formally registered as a national NGO in 2011. It was founded by individuals with lived experience of mental illness, alongside caregivers and service providers. MHU operates across all regions of Uganda, working to ensure equal access to services and opportunities for people with mental health conditions.

With over 25,000 members, MHU is the largest organization of people living with mental health conditions in Africa. Over the years, it has achieved significant milestones in advocacy for policy, rights, and legislative reforms; promotion of community-based mental health care; capacity building for district-level membership associations; livelihood support for individuals with lived experience of mental illness; rehabilitation and reintegration of homeless individuals from the streets of Kampala; user-led programming; and efforts to combat stigma and discrimination related to mental health.

MHU also operates a national toll-free mental health counseling line—0800 212121—accessible in multiple languages across all regions of the country, ensuring inclusive support for diverse communities.

The organization’s work is guided by international, regional, and national development and disability frameworks, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), World Health Organization Mental Health Policy Guidelines, Uganda’s National Development Plans, the Persons with Disabilities Act, and the Mental Health Act.

To operationalize its mandate of promoting the rights and wellbeing of people with psychosocial disabilities, MHU develops a strategic plan every five years. This plan serves as a roadmap for advancing inclusive, rights-based mental health programming across Uganda.