Content warning: Story discusses themes including suicide, suicidal ideation, and sexual assault.

Jesuit Refugee Service’s global Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) team is made up of highly skilled, deeply committed experts.

Moses Mukasa is the interregional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer for JRS East and South Africa.

Across these regions, Moses and his team focus on community-based and community-led initiatives that support displaced people in achieving stability, integration, and the restoration of hope, mental and social well-being, and a sense of normalcy within both refugee and host communities.

Their work places particular emphasis on addressing the growing mental health a crisis among those they serve, characterized by the rise in self-destructive behaviors, including suicidal ideation, suicidal actions, and substance abuse, all of which reflect a growing gap in access to critical support.

“I did not choose this field,” Moses said, describing his introduction to humanitarian and emergency aid. “I think this work truly chose me.”

Fifteen years ago, at the end of his undergraduate studies in psychology and social science, Moses volunteered at the only mental health hospital in Uganda. He noticed a pattern among patients: after receiving care and getting on their feet, many would end up back on the streets and have to return to the hospital weeks later.

This cycle led Moses to pivot to a career providing direct service to those who needed it most. His first position was in conflict zones in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where, as a protection officer, he provided emergency aid to people fleeing war.

He began to understand the serious consequences of neglecting mental health and psychosocial wellbeing in emergency response efforts. Even if people survived physically, they often suffered mentally and emotionally.

“This is how I came to understand that people do not consider mental health a priority,” Moses said. “But it must be.”

A core tenet of Moses’ approach, and of JRS’s global MHPSS framework, is the belief that affected communities know best what they need.

As Moses put it: “Communities are the experts [on] their own contexts.”

They understand the cultural and social factors that shape an individual’s mental and physical health, poverty, or vulnerability. This understanding lays the foundation for healing, rebuilding, and long-term resilience.

In South Sudan, Moses began identifying individuals already serving as informal “healers” in their communities and worked to build their capacities. A few years later, he brought this model home to Uganda.

Moses described days spent along the rural border between Uganda and South Sudan, where he and his team would sometimes discover the bodies of refugees who had died by suicide.

“These people died because they felt as though they had nothing left,” Moses said. “The world has made them feel this way.”

For those who survived and resettled in cities like Kampala, or who moved into refugee communities in the north, the path to healing was often long and painful, especially without proper resources or support systems.

People on the move are particularly vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence, extortion, and other forms of abuse. The devastating circumstances that lead to displacement, combined with experiences during migration, can lead to severe lifelong mental health challenges.

Moses shared the story of a woman he met in Uganda in 2017 who had just arrived from South Sudan. She had survived sexual assault and multiple suicide attempts. After joining community-led support programs and participating in one-on-one sessions, she began to process and heal from what she had endured.

One day, she confided in Moses that she had been planning again to end her life. But because of the support and tools she how had, she had begun to feel hope, purpose, and positivity about the future.

After his work in Uganda, Moses took a position with the United Nations in Geneva, where he served within the public health section and helped in developing a living document titled: ‘’Planning for Prevention and Risk Mitigation of Suicide in Refugee Settings.” He also contributed key information and resources to other strategies, including the specific, cultural context of South Sudanese mental health.

But several years ago, he found himself on the brink of burnout. He considered leaving humanitarian work altogether until a mentor pointed him to JRS.

“They are community-based,” she told him. “They focus on the same transformative programming that you value.”

Moses described finding his own healing with JRS’s global mental health team. “Never have I worked with a team of more highly experienced and technically skilled people,” he said.

Three years later, he speaks with energy and hope about the work.

“The team, and the people we serve, they give me every reason to stay.”

Today, Moses is focused on suicide prevention and responding to substance use disorders in East and South Africa. He noted that while the COVID-19 pandemic brought a global surge in mental health awareness, that momentum has faded and resources are once again drying up.

“MHPSS facilitates hope,” Moses said. “When people lose mental health support, they can lose it all.”

In addition to direct service and supporting JRS MHPSS staff across the region, Moses is also working to reduce stigma at the advocacy level. He is currently petitioning the Ugandan government to decriminalize suicide. This change would help reframe suicide as a public health concern rather than a criminal offense.

On a global level, Moses hopes that international, and especially U.S., audiences understand that MHPSS work is non-negotiable.

“All of our amazing education initiatives and livelihoods programs can be that much more impactful when mental health needs are met,” Moses explained. “Mental health is truly a catalyst at the center of a person’s life, and it requires care through a mainstream and integrated approach.”

For Moses, he has found his vocation. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said. “This is the work I want to be remembered for.”

If you want to learn more about JRS’ MHPSS programs or see how you can get involved, please MHPSS information page.