Healing Trauma. Restoring Dignity. Rebuilding Futures.

Introduction to Psycho-Social Support

At M-LISADA, we recognize that many of the children and youth we serve come from deeply complex and traumatic backgrounds. Some have lived on the streets for years. Others have experienced neglect, abuse, family breakdown, substance exposure, or conflict with the law.

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with over 75% of its citizens under the age of 30. According to national child protection reports, thousands of children live or work on the streets of urban centers such as Kampala. Studies by child welfare organizations in Uganda indicate that a high percentage of street-connected children have experienced physical violence, emotional abuse, exploitation, or substance exposure. Additionally, national mental health reports estimate that nearly 1 in 4 young people in Uganda experience some form of psychological distress, yet access to professional mental health services remains limited.

Without structured intervention, trauma often leads to substance dependency, aggression, withdrawal, depression, school dropout, and long-term social exclusion. For children who have experienced conflict with the law, untreated trauma significantly increases the risk of reoffending and reintegration failure.

We understand that education alone is not enough. Before a child can learn, they must heal.

M-LISADA’s Psycho-Social Support Program was established to respond directly to this need. It helps children adjust to safe environments, process traumatic experiences, rebuild confidence, and develop healthy coping mechanisms that enable long-term stability.

In our early outreach work in Kampala, many street-connected children were frequently removed by law enforcement and transferred to the Kampiringisa Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center, where they were placed among juveniles in conflict with the law. Rather than seeing this as a setback, M-LISADA recognized an opportunity to extend trauma healing and life-skills support to an even wider group of vulnerable youth.

In 2014, we began structured engagement at Kampiringisa, formally establishing our Psycho-Social Support Program. Since then, the program has expanded to reach children at our Kampala and Kalangala homes, participants in our Bridge Education Program, pupils at M-LISADA Passion Primary School, community beneficiaries, and youth in rehabilitation centers.

Healing is central to our transformation model, as when trauma is addressed, behavior stabilizes. When emotional wounds are treated, learning becomes possible. And when children regain confidence, their futures are restored.