Moses Mukasa, the Interregional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer for Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) East and South Africa, leads efforts to help displaced people rebuild their lives and mental well-being. His team focuses on community-driven initiatives that promote stability, integration, and the restoration of hope among refugees and host communities alike.
One of the primary challenges they address is the growing mental health crisis. This includes a rise in self-destructive behaviors such as suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and substance abuse, reflecting the lack of critical mental health support in many regions.
“I didn’t choose this field,” Moses explains. “I think this work truly chose me.”
Moses’s journey into humanitarian work began fifteen years ago. After completing his undergraduate studies in psychology and social science, he volunteered at Uganda’s only mental health hospital. There, he observed a troubling pattern: patients, once treated and seemingly recovered, would often return to the streets and re-enter the hospital within weeks. This cycle of recovery and relapse inspired Moses to shift his focus to providing direct aid in conflict zones.
His first role was as a protection officer in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he assisted those fleeing war. It was here that Moses saw firsthand the severe mental health consequences of neglecting psychosocial well-being during emergency response efforts. Physical survival was just one part of the equation; mental and emotional health were just as crucial.
“This is how I came to understand that people do not consider mental health a priority,” Moses said. “But it must be.”
A fundamental aspect of Moses’s approach is the belief that communities themselves are the best experts on their own needs. This aligns with JRS’s global MHPSS framework, which emphasizes the importance of local knowledge and the cultural factors that shape individuals’ mental health.
Moses puts it simply: “Communities are the experts on their own contexts.”
In South Sudan, Moses identified local individuals who were already serving as informal “healers” and worked to build their capacities. He later brought this model to Uganda, where he spent time along the border between Uganda and South Sudan, often discovering the bodies of refugees who had died by suicide.
“These people died because they felt as though they had nothing left,” Moses reflects. “The world has made them feel this way.”
For those who survived and resettled, especially in cities like Kampala or refugee settlements in the north, the road to healing was long and difficult, often exacerbated by a lack of proper resources or support systems.
People on the move are especially vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence, extortion, and abuse. The trauma from displacement, compounded by the hardships of migration, can lead to profound and lasting mental health challenges.
Moses recalls meeting a woman in Uganda in 2017 who had survived sexual assault and multiple suicide attempts. After joining community support programs, she began to process her trauma. During one of their conversations, she confided that she had been planning to end her life again. However, with the support she now had, she started to find hope and purpose for the future.
Following his time in Uganda, Moses took a position with the United Nations in Geneva, where he contributed to a living document titled Planning for Prevention and Risk Mitigation of Suicide in Refugee Settings. He also worked on strategies addressing the mental health challenges faced by South Sudanese refugees.
Despite his accomplishments, Moses faced burnout and considered leaving humanitarian work. It was a mentor who encouraged him to join JRS, citing their community-based approach and transformative programs.
“They focus on the same transformative programming that you value,” his mentor told him.
Since joining JRS, Moses has found a supportive team of highly skilled professionals, which has helped him find his own healing. “Never have I worked with a team of more highly experienced and technically skilled people,” Moses says. “The team, and the people we serve, they give me every reason to stay.”
Currently, Moses is focused on suicide prevention and addressing substance use disorders in East and South Africa. He notes that while the COVID-19 pandemic brought greater global awareness to mental health, resources for mental health support have dwindled once again.
“MHPSS facilitates hope,” Moses explains. “When people lose mental health support, they can lose it all.”
In addition to direct service, Moses advocates for reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues. He is currently petitioning the Ugandan government to decriminalize suicide, aiming to treat it as a public health concern rather than a criminal act.
On a global scale, Moses emphasizes the importance of integrating mental health care into all forms of humanitarian aid. He hopes that international communities, particularly in the U.S., recognize that mental health support is essential for the success of education and livelihood programs.
“Mental health is a catalyst at the center of a person’s life,” Moses says. “It requires care through a mainstream and integrated approach.”
For Moses, his work is not just a job but a lifelong mission. “This is the work I want to be remembered for,” he says.
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