Topowa Project

The TOPOWA project is a 5-year long research study, funded by the NIH, to address the social drivers of mental illness in low-income settings. Our study will determine the link between place and mental health among young women who live in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. The study will also determine if vocational training and women empowerment initiatives such as strengthening entrepreneurship skills will improve mental health trajectories for women in poverty. The collaborative and transdisciplinary study has many different project pieces and brings together researchers from Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University and Makerere University. The Community Based Organization that will lead the study implementation and intervention is our long-term partner the Uganda Youth Development Link.