This summer I had the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in a village in Uganda doing mental health research. This was an amazing experience that allowed me to gain perspective of another culture and reflect on all the blessings we have in the United States that we so often take for granted. It was inspiring to see the happiness that individuals there maintain with what little they have, and the warm hearts they had for each other and us American fellows.

While the project I worked on sought to improve healthcare-seeking behavior for those with mental illness, it was quickly realized by the research team that lack of access to healthcare was not the only obstacle that individuals faced but so was access to education. A striking majority of the children in the village did not attend school because they could not afford to go, and the few that did attend oftentimes did not get an adequate education for a successful future. Thus, our research team has set a goal to remove this barrier to adequate education and build a school in the village that is accessible to families that cannot otherwise afford to send their children to school.

If you would like to contribute in any way, we would greatly appreciate it, as even a little goes a long way! Thank you so much!