Author: Organizing Team, UNLEASH Hack Uganda

On November 21 and 22 UNLEASH Hack Uganda took place with a focus on mental health solutions for refugees. The virtual Hack brought together 20 participants from mental health and refugee backgrounds to collaborate on addressing mental health challenges faced by refugee communities.

Day 1 of the Hack began with setting the expectation of values participants would uphold during the Hack. After a round of interactive introductions in breakout rooms, Talents were introduced to the UNLEASH Innovation Methodology in preparation for its application to finding mental health solutions for refugees. To complement this, insights were shared about some of the issues refugees face in this regard. This set the tone for Day 2 of the Hack, where Talents worked together in small groups to devise innovative solutions to the mental health problems they had identified. With continuous guidance from their Facilitators, the teams brainstormed, developed, and refined their ideas.

At the end of the Hack, winning solutions emerged after the pitching session to a panel of judges. These included using digital tools like apps and online platforms to connect refugees to nearby mental health service and provide tele-mental health services. Another solution focused on training ordinary people as champions of mental health advocacy to increase awareness and uptake of available services.