Nnaabagereka pledges support for mental health awareness

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Nnaabagereka Sylvia Nagginda has pledged to work with Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital to promote mental health awareness amongst Ugandans.

She said this during her visit to the facility on Thursday, April 17, 2025, which she called a chance to witness the remarkable work being done in providing specialised, curative and rehabilitative mental health services.

Dr Juliet Nakku, the Executive Director of Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital explaining to Nnaabagereka Sylvia Nagginda (right) during her visit to the facility. (Photo by Dickson Kulumba)

“We commend and deeply appreciate your unwavering dedication to supporting people living with mental illness, especially as this is the country’s only national referral mental health institution. We look forward to continuing collaborations in this noble cause,” Nagginda said.

Through her charity, the Nnaabagereka Nagginda Women’s Fund, she said that mental illness has been placed at the forefront of all other programmes, adding that everyone should put mental health on top of their list.

“It’s a priority that we should all put on top of our list, whether in our homes, schools, hospitals or any setting. We should make sure that people around us who may need the support can get it,” the Nnaabagereka said.

Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital entrance. (Photo by Dickson Kulumba)

She thanked the healthcare givers at Butabika for their work and added that with her initiative, they aim at transforming perceptions, dismantling stigma and mobilising resources necessary to promote mental health awareness and support.

Her visit to Butabika is also part of her ongoing advocacy for mental health awareness, which she does through her Queen’s Ball Initiative she began last year.

“Today’s visit is also part of our ongoing advocacy in the lead up to the Queen’s Ball 2025, which will be held under the theme ‘Healing minds’. Last year’s Queen’s Ball, which was the first, was also dedicated to mental health, and we really hope to continue doing this as long as we can within the fund,” said Nnaabagereka.

To Butabika, she took with her essential items for the patients.

An assortment of items Nnaabagereka Sylvia Nagginda took for the patients at Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital. (Photo by Dickson Kulumba)

In appreciation, Dr Juliet Nakku, the Executive Director of Butabika and Prof. Jean Kinyanda, the Chairperson of the Board for Butabika, handed over an appreciation plaque to Nnaabagereka for unwavering support to people living with Mental illness.

Dr Nakku reported to Nnaabagereka that most of the patients admitted to Butabika nowadays are children and youth, which she said poses a danger to the future of this country if nothing is done about it.