Counselling team
Trained counsellors who carry out assessments, lead individual and group sessions and build personal care plans with each person.
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About the movement
We are people who have been there.
Voices of Recovery Movement is a community-led organisation in Kampala. We exist so that people living with addiction, trauma and mental health challenges are met with understanding, not shame.
Our story
A movement that began with one honest conversation.
In too many Ugandan homes, addiction is something people whisper about, or never mention at all. Families hide it from neighbours. Young people are punished instead of helped. People who want to stop using do not know where to turn, and many believe they are beyond help.
Voices of Recovery Movement was started to break that silence. Our founder and the first members of the movement knew from their own lives how isolating addiction can be, and how much changes when someone finally listens without judgement.
Founded in 2026 in Ntinda, Kampala, we are a young movement that began with conversations between people in recovery. We now offer treatment and outpatient support, weekly peer circles, workshops for families and outreach in schools, markets and neighbourhoods.
We still believe what we believed on the first day: every voice deserves a path to recovery, and nobody should have to walk it alone.
Mission and vision
Our mission
To restore hope and rebuild lives by walking with people and families through recovery, with care, education and community.
Our vision
A Uganda where recovery is celebrated, stigma has no place, and support is within reach of everyone who needs it.
What we stand for
Six values that shape every conversation.
These are not words on a wall. They guide how we answer the phone, how we run a circle and how we spend every shilling we are given.
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01
Compassion
We meet every person with warmth and patience. Nobody has to earn our care by proving they are ready.
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02
Dignity
Addiction does not define a person. We speak about people with respect, and we protect their right to make their own choices.
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03
Lived experience
Many of us have been where you are. That experience shapes how we listen, how we design programmes and how we lead.
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04
Community
Recovery is sustained by relationships. We build circles of support around people, their families and their neighbourhoods.
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05
Confidentiality
What you share with us stays with us. We are careful with names, stories and information, always.
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06
Accountability
We are honest about what we can and cannot do, we use every gift responsibly and we learn from the people we serve.
Leadership
Kuol Bol Mel, founder.
Kuol founded Voices of Recovery Movement with a clear conviction: that communities heal faster when people in recovery are given a voice, and when those who are still struggling are met with understanding instead of shame.
As a lived experience advocate, he has spent years listening to young people, families and community leaders across Kampala. He leads the movement’s vision and partnerships, and remains closely involved in outreach, where he speaks openly about recovery to break the stigma that keeps so many people silent.
“No one should suffer in silence. Every recovery journey deserves support, compassion and a real chance at renewal.”
The people behind the work
Teams who show up, week after week.
Our work is carried by counsellors, peers, volunteers and facilitators who bring both professional skill and personal understanding.
Peer recovery coaches
People in long-term recovery who mentor others through the early months, lead support circles and show that change is possible.
Outreach volunteers
Volunteers who take support into markets, schools, campuses and neighbourhoods across Kampala, often meeting people for the first time.
Family facilitators
Facilitators who run Family Bridges workshops and help parents, partners and siblings support recovery while caring for themselves.
Our impact so far
Growing one conversation at a time.
We are a young movement. These figures are people and places we have reached together with our volunteers and partners.
15+
People supported through care, outreach and peer groups
5
Communities reached in and around Kampala
10+
Volunteers giving their time every month
Walk with us
Recovery is a team effort. There is room for you.
Whether you need support, want to volunteer or would like to fund the work, we would be glad to hear from you.