Sharon Nambakire is championing mental wellness in Uganda through her work as the founder of the Mental Health and Mental Illness Awareness Foundation (MHAMIA Foundation), a community-led initiative creating safe spaces and amplifying conversations around mental health.
At just 25 years old, she has positioned herself as a passionate advocate determined to dismantle stigma, empower youth, and bring education and support to underserved communities across the country. Raised in Makindye, Kampala, Sharon’s journey is deeply rooted in lived experience, and she has transformed her personal commitment into a platform that blends storytelling, outreach, and healing.
Beyond MHAMIA, she also leads Siya TV Uganda, using digital platforms to extend her advocacy. In a context where mental health is often overlooked, Sharon’s work reflects the power of young voices in shaping a more compassionate and resilient future for Uganda.
Connect with Siya TV Uganda on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X to follow and support their advocacy journey.
Meet Sharon Nambakire
“My name is Nambakire Sharon, I am 25 years old from Uganda, Kampala and I am a passionate advocate, a founder of MHAMIA Foundation and an online TV, Siya TV Uganda.”
Sharon Nambakire, Founder, MHAMIA Foundation
Her journey has been shaped by personal experiences of hardship and resilience, which continue to fuel her commitment to advocacy. “I have dedicated my life to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health, promoting understanding, and offering support for those affected by mental illnesses,” she explains.
Raised in Makindye, Kampala, Sharon grew up in modest circumstances, facing challenges with access to education and social acceptance. She recalls a rough childhood marked by financial hardship, delayed schooling, and bullying. Yet, she draws inspiration from her single mother’s determination and from teachers and mentors who supported her along the way.
“Growing up I never had dreams, but as years went on I saw how my single mom was a hardworking one. I started admiring her and I always told myself I want to be like mom.”
These early struggles instilled in her a determination to persist and to uplift others facing similar obstacles.
Her passion for media and advocacy developed in her school years and deepened after senior six, when she began working with different online TV platforms before establishing Siya TV Uganda. Along the way, her personal encounters with mental health challenges and, later, the tragic loss of her cousin to suicide in 2023, became a turning point.
“Growing up, I never knew about mental health, but after losing my cousin to suicide, I started making research about it.”
Sharon Nambakire, Founder, MHAMIA Foundation
This personal awakening solidified her commitment to mental health advocacy and inspired her to rebrand earlier community initiatives into Mental Health and Mental Illness Awareness Foundation, MHAMIA Foundation.
Though she was unable to pursue university immediately after completing her A-levels, Sharon remains hopeful and determined. “Even if I never joined university I know in future I will,” she shares. For her, education is part of a lifelong journey that complements her work in advocacy and media. What drives her more than anything, however, is her calling to service. As she puts it, “I want to help people. I want to listen to them without judgement. I want to be there.” This clarity of purpose is what continues to anchor her work and sustain her vision for a healthier, more inclusive society.
Today, through MHAMIA Foundation and her media work, Sharon continues to embody that mission, blending advocacy, storytelling, and community outreach to change how mental health is understood in Uganda.
Building MHAMIA Foundation from Lived Experience
Sharon Nambakire’s journey into mental health advocacy was born out of personal tragedy.
“My personal journey as a mental health advocate began when my cousin brother took his own life at a very young age, and the insufficient education on mental health deeply impacted me.”
This loss revealed to her how overlooked and misunderstood mental health is in Uganda, often treated as an afterthought despite its central role in people’s lives. Motivated by these experiences, Sharon founded the Mental Health and Mental Illness Awareness Foundation (MHAMIA) in 2023, determined to raise awareness, offer education, and advocate for systemic change.
Today, MHAMIA stands as a nonprofit organization supporting people of all ages and backgrounds. The foundation uses a hybrid approach that combines physical outreach with digital innovation. As Sharon explains, MHAMIA has built an online platform that provides information, peer support, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental health challenges. It also offers online courses on suicide prevention, stress management, self-care, depression, and other conditions, alongside counseling and coaching sessions delivered virtually. The online platform can be accessed here.
On the ground, the organization has reached 48 communities across Uganda with awareness campaigns, school visits, and community dialogues. Its services span from education and stigma reduction to promoting emotional well-being, providing referrals, and advocating for better mental health policies.
Beyond awareness, MHAMIA runs several programs that extend the foundation’s impact. These include the MHAMIA Annual May Summit, which coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month and provides a platform to “break the stigma,” as Sharon describes.
The upcoming MHAMIA School Clubs initiative will create safe spaces for young people to learn and openly discuss mental health in their schools.
The MHAMIA School Outreach Program takes education directly into communities, while the MHAMIA Generosity Drive reflects Sharon’s personal story of growing up in hardship, collecting clothes, food, and essentials for families in need.
These programs embody the foundation’s holistic vision: addressing both the psychological and material realities of vulnerable communities.
The Power of Storytelling
At the heart of MHAMIA’s work is storytelling. Sharon affirms, “At MHAMIA Foundation, we believe that stories carry power. They connect hearts, break silence, and inspire action.” Storytelling is at the heart of the foundation’s advocacy. By sharing real experiences, the team humanizes mental health struggles, makes ideas more relatable, and empowers youth to voice their own journeys.
Through drama, poetry, testimonies, and dialogue, MHAMIA encourages young people not only to listen but also to speak up. As Sharon puts it,
“We encourage youth to tell their own stories, giving them a platform to speak out, heal, and inspire their peers. This not only builds confidence but also creates a ripple effect, where one story sparks many others.”
Sharon Nambakire, Founder, MHAMIA Foundation
Overcoming Challenges, Inspiring Change
Every journey in advocacy comes with obstacles, and for Sharon Nambakire, the road to advancing mental health awareness in Uganda has been no exception. The challenges are many and layered, stretching from cultural perceptions to structural gaps in services.
At the heart of it all lies stigma. “Many people still associate mental health with madness or weakness,” she says, emphasizing how such views make it difficult for communities to have open conversations and prevent individuals from seeking help. The silence and shame that often surround mental health struggles mean that families sometimes choose to hide their realities instead of confronting them. For Sharon, “breaking this silence remains one of the toughest barriers.”
Beyond stigma, Uganda’s limited awareness and education on mental health have left young people particularly vulnerable. In schools, homes, and communities, the subject is rarely taught, creating a void where many struggle without guidance. Sharon has also observed how cultural beliefs shape perceptions. In some areas, mental health challenges are viewed through strictly spiritual or traditional lenses, which delays support and discourages people from seeking professional care.
This, combined with the shortage of mental health professionals in the country and the financial constraints facing community-based programs, makes it even harder to reach those most in need. “With high rates of unemployment, poverty, and peer pressure, young people are at risk, yet their mental health needs are often overlooked,” she reflects.
Confronting these barriers has required creativity and courage. Sharon has leaned on the very tools that shaped her advocacy: storytelling, education, and safe spaces.
“Storytelling helps humanize mental health by showing that real people, not stereotypes, live with these challenges.”
Sharon Nambakire, Founder, MHAMIA Foundation
Through workshops, youth sessions, and school outreaches, MHAMIA Foundation creates environments where people can talk freely without judgment. Education, too, has been central in breaking myths and translating complex mental health concepts into relatable, everyday truths.
“I have learned that change doesn’t come overnight. It comes one story, one conversation, and one young person at a time.”
Her vision is to build bridges between culture and science, ensuring that healing feels both familiar and accessible to local communities.
The impact of this approach is best illustrated by the lives MHAMIA Foundation has touched. Sharon recalls one of the foundation’s Youth Mental Health Outreach Programs at a secondary school. Many students were silently struggling with anxiety, stress, and despair when one young boy gathered the courage to share his story for the first time. With support from MHAMIA and follow-up counseling, he not only learned healthier coping strategies but also grew into a peer advocate, encouraging others to speak up. “His journey is a powerful reminder of why we do this work.” It shows how one story of courage can spark a ripple effect of healing across entire communities.
To sustain such momentum, Sharon believes collaboration is indispensable.
“Mental health is not something one organization can tackle alone, it requires many voices, skills, and resources working together,” she asserts.
MHAMIA works with local organizations to design culturally sensitive programs that meet people where they are, and with policymakers to push for stronger laws, budgets, and commitments to mental health inclusion in Uganda’s health and education systems. International partners also play a vital role, bringing expertise, resources, and visibility.
“Alone, we can raise awareness in a few places; together, we can build a Uganda, and an Africa, where every child and every mind truly matters.”
Sharon Nambakire, Founder, MHAMIA Foundation
A Vision for Uganda’s Mental Wellness Future
Looking ahead, Sharon Nambakire sees a future where Uganda redefines its relationship with mental health, where awareness, empowerment, and collective healing take center stage.
“My vision for MHAMIA Foundation is to see a Uganda where mental health is no longer a taboo, but a shared responsibility.”
Sharon Nambakire, Founder, MHAMIA Foundation
For Sharon, awareness is the starting point. She imagines schools, families, and workplaces where emotions are openly discussed, and safe spaces are part of daily life. “Awareness will move from silence to empowerment,” she explains, stressing the need for mental health to be integrated into everyday conversations rather than treated as a hidden issue.
Her vision also places young people at the heart of change. Sharon dreams of “a generation of young people who not only understand their own mental well-being but also champion it for others.” Through leadership programs, storytelling, and mentorship, MHAMIA Foundation is working to nurture ambassadors of resilience and hope, youth who lead by example and break the cycle of stigma.
But beyond individuals, Sharon envisions whole communities transformed. She describes a Uganda where neighbors, leaders, and institutions come together to support one another. “Healing will become collective, not individual,” she affirms, believing that real progress lies in building a culture of shared care and solidarity.
Her dream is for MHAMIA Foundation to spearhead a movement of hope, one that reassures every child, every youth, and every community that “every mind matters, every voice counts, and recovery is always possible.”
Sharon welcomes collaborations and partnerships that strengthen mental health advocacy and support in Uganda, Africa and beyond. Whether you are an individual, organization, or institution seeking to join hands in driving inclusion and awareness, you can connect with her directly here or through MHAMIA Foundation’s social platforms on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
In Sharon’s rising, may many rise to advocate for what truly matters, our own well-being. May MHAMIA grow to greater levels of advocacy, and may countless advocates across Africa continue in this shared purpose of ensuring that every mind is valued and every community healed.
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