Transcript for Ending Stigma Together

The video starts with gentle background music and a montage showing three Ugandan women. They are Esther Suubi, Dorothy Nakato Mubezi, and Gorret Namwanje. In the montage, Dorothy is smiling and walking through a doorway onto a porch. Gorret sits with Esther on a wood bench in a sunny yard.

Cut to an interview with Gorret sitting on a chair alone in the yard.

Gorret says, “We’ve got the witch doctors, hospitals, asking for some help, but realizing at the end it was psychosocial disability.”

Cut to Gorret and Esther walking and talking in the yard. Cut to an interview with Esther sitting in a blue chair alone in the yard.

Esther says, “I was in high school and I broke down mentally.”

Cut to Dorothy talking with another woman on the porch. Then cut to an interview with Dorothy sitting in a blue chair.

Dorothy says, “It came when I was at school, so for me I didn’t know about it until when I was brought back home.”

Cut to black words on a yellow screen that say, “Psychological disability remains one of the most challenging and misunderstood areas of disability. Discrimination in education, employment, and more deprive persons with psychosocial disabilities of their legal capacity and liberty.”

The video cuts back to Gorret’s interview. A yellow title with black words appears and reads, “Gorret Namwanje, Self Advocate at Triumph Mental Health Support.”

Gorret says, “There is an English teacher, that woman she could just end in class and maybe the sickness comes, she tells the fellow pupils to take you out. The next time say ‘Ahh, I don’t want to see you in my class so just move out. That you can’t stay now her class when you’re having a sickness.’”

Cut to Gorret and Esther talking on the bench in the yard. Then cut to Esther’s interview. A yellow title with black words appears that says, “Esther Suubi, Peer educator at Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support.”

Esther says, “It came as a shock to me, and also to my friends. I did have a lot of friends, but when I went back home and I came back to school it was like a whole new environment.”

Cut to Esther coloring in a colorful book in the yard. The image has the words, “I Am Enough” written on it.

Cut to Dorothy’s interview. A yellow title with black words appears that say, “Dorothy Nakato Mubezi, Fellow at International Disability Alliance.”

Dorothy says, “I stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks but I didn’t know what was really – I couldn’t remember what is happening.”

Cut to Dorothy braiding and styling another woman’s hair. Cut back to Dorothy’s interview.

Dorothy says, “They know that home is a challenging one. Get clothes, you can’t; there are always troubles, something like that.”

Cut to Gorret standing outside and speaking into a microphone at a conference. A caption with yellow letters reads, “Gorret raising awareness about abuse among girls with disabilities (Credit: Creative Action Institute).”

Gorret says into the microphone, “I’ve learned that we should give care, respect, and show love to persons with disabilities, especially those having psychosocial disability, mental disability, and intellectual disability.”

Cut to a montage of photos. The first is a photo of Gorret crafting with another woman. Next are two photos of Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support classes. In each photo, students sit in a circle around a teacher.

Cut to Gorett’s interview. Gorett says, “Even in our village, the nearby neighbors, they told their children to stop coming near me. That I will spread the disease to them also.”

Cut to Gorett holding a phone and standing in the yard. Esther walks into the frame. Cut to Esther’s interview.

Esther says, “It was a whole new environment for me. I had like three friends who stood by my side.”

As Esther speaks, a photograph appears showing Esther in a classroom with other students.

Cut back to Esther’s interview. Esther continues, “But these other friends that I thought were friends didn’t want to sit next to me.”

Cut to Esther coloring in a coloring book with the same image that reads, “I Am Enough.”

Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “Like we go for meetings and you want to stand up and talk, somebody’s saying, they may not give you a chance quickly.”

Cut to a photo of Dorothy wearing a name tag and standing next to a bright yellow wall. Dorothy is pointing to a white sign on the wall that has colorful words. The words read, “How can we get ready to access SRHRs? Sexual Reproductive Health Rights.”

Cut back to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy continues, “They think your contribution may not be in line with what they are discussing, which is not that true.”

Cut to Gorett and Esther walking in the yard. Then cut to Gorett’s interview.

Gorett says, “I felt very bad. Never happy. Because it hurts when they do something like that to you. I missed the lessons of English but the good thing I did it better than other subjects in my primary.”

Cut to Esther reading a book in the yard. The book is called “Mental Health Beyond Madness.”

Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “Most of my friends feared me. They thought that if they just had a small connection of my skin to theirs, I would affect them, or infect them, with a illness that I’m having. It was very tough. Very tough.”

A photo appears on the screen showing Esther in a classroom smiling at the camera.

Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “So you are prevented from participating in society. In many other areas. Because of the misconceptions that people have about persons with psychosocial disabilities.”

The video cuts to a montage of photos showing Triumph workshops. The first one shows a group of people smiling and posing for the camera. The second shows people sitting in a chair and listening to a speaker in a purple dress. The third shows a speaker in a yellow dress addressing a group. The third photo shows people standing outside in a circle doing a group activity.

Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “The advice I have for persons with psychosocial disabilities that have been stigmatized is for them to know who they are, to know they have value and treasure what they have.”

Cut to Gorret’s interview. Gorett says, “The first thing is to pray to God. Because God hears every person’s voice and prayers. The second thing: going for medication at the hospital. Like I joined Atenekontola in Bugembe Health Center. So I just go every month for medication.”

The video cuts again to Dorothy styling the woman’s hair. Then it cuts to Dorothy’s interview.

Dorothy says, “We are supposed to show the world our potential. I advise persons with psychosocial disabilities, where possible with enough support to do their best.”

Cut to a photo of two women talking at a Triumph workshop.

Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “When I got to meet the executive director who is my mentor of Triumph Mental Health Support.”

The video cuts to a photo of Robinah Alumbuya. At the bottom of the photo, a black title with yellow words reads, “Robinah Alambuya, Triumph Executive Director.” The photo shows Robinah wearing a blue outfit, kneeling on the ground, and writing on a protest sign. The video cuts to a second photo of Robinah standing with another person, smiling into the camera.

Cut back to Esther’s interview. Esther continues, “I got to realize that I am not the only person going through this. We are many.”

A photo appears of Robinah in the same blue outfit, now holding a sign that reads, “#Stop sexual abuse!”

Cut to Gorret’s interview. Gorret says, “Listening to what my parents said to me. Guiding me, counseling what I should avoid, prevent like peer groups. Even since I joined Triumph Uganda, they’ve been helping me in very many things.”

Cut to Gorret speaking at the conference again. Gorret says into the microphone, “I as Namwanje Gorrett, a Ugandan from Jinja district, from an organization called Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support, I’ve learned that we should give care, respect, and show love to persons with disabilities, especially those having psychosocial disability, mental disability, and intellectual disability.”

The video cuts again to Gorret and Esther sitting on the bench in the yard laughing together. Then it cuts to Esther’s interview.

Esther says, “So I decided that I’m going to become a voice for the voiceless so that we can speak up, you know, to tell the world that we too are human beings. Yes, we do have special needs, but we are equal. We have the same blood.”

Cut to a montage of three photos that show Esther spending time with other Triumph members. In one photo, she wears an orange shirt with the words SRHRs, which stands for Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. In another she is leaning over a table with two other people, smiling as they all write on papers. In the third, she is sitting and smiling with another woman in a red dress.

Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “I advise them to take care, safe care, that when you take care of yourself, you reduce on the relapses.”

Cut to several photos of people in Triumph workshops. In the first photo, a group of people sit outside under an awning. The table is covered in Triumph Uganda banners that advocate for sexual reproductive health rights. One banner reads, “Triumph Uganda promotes Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls and Young Women with Psycosocial Disabilities.” A second photo shows two people sitting at a table writing on protest signs.

A voice over by Gorret speaks over the photos, and then we cut to Gorret’s interview. Gorret says, “Village leaders, community leaders, and the police officers to hear the voice of persons with disabilities. Because one can be raped, takes the statement to police and they don’t follow it. Because they could just say ‘Hey, you are disabled. How can we help you?’ They should hear their voices also because they’re also human beings, like others.”

Cut to a photo of Triumph members standing in a half-circle and posing for the camera.

Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “There are people out there who wish they could speak up but because they don’t have the courage, they’re not able to speak up so I said, ‘I’m going to do this for them.’”

Cut to a close up of Esther, who is standing in front of a Triumph organization sign. Esther says, “I am Suubi Esther Deborah, a Triumph self advocate and a university student.”

Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “They should participate. This helps you to know your right and know how you fight for your right and advocate for others.”

Cut to a photo of a woman holding a sign that reads, “Why not affirmative action also in elections?”

Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “I believe that stigma can be eradicated from our society, from our community, if we join together and fight this. Remember there is no health without mental health; my health is your health and your health is my health.”

Cut to a yellow screen with black words that say, “Together we can end stigma!”

The screen fades to black with a yellow title at the center that reads, “Copyright – @2022 TRIUMPH Uganda. All rights reserved.”