When Okello set fire to the only hut his family owned, his mother thought she had lost him forever. But what happened next changed both their lives.
For years, Okello’s mother, Lanyero from Kalongo Town Council in Agago District, had watched her only son slip into a world she couldn’t reach.
He began talking to himself, seeing people no one else could see, wandering aimlessly, and drinking heavily. His once joyful personality was replaced by isolation and unpredictable behaviour. The breaking point came the day he burned down their home leaving them with nothing but fear and uncertainty.

In 2019, a friend told Lanyero about BasicNeeds UK in Uganda (BNUU). At BNUU, Okello was referred to Dr. Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital. By what Lanyero calls “God’s timing,” a visiting team from Gulu Regional Referral Hospital’s Mental Health Department was on site.
Okello was thoroughly assessed and diagnosed with psychosis. Treatment began immediately paired with regular home visits and talk therapy from BNUU counsellor.

Week by week, Okello began to recover.
He stopped drinking excessively, stayed close to home, and reconnected with his daily routines fetching water, sweeping, and working in the garden.
Today, he lives with his aunt in Patongo Town Council, working as a gatekeeper. Clean, calm, and respected, he’s no longer the troubled man people feared, but the dependable young man they greet with pride.

“They didn’t just heal my son they gave me hope. Now when I see him smile, I smile too.” Lanyero
“We’ve watched Okello change; he greets people politely, does his job well, and no longer causes trouble.” Village elder, Patongo