About Dear Us

Dear Us brings together Rita Auma's writing and conversations about mental wellbeing. Rooted in Uganda and shaped by lived experience, it is a place to read, learn and think more carefully about how we care for ourselves and one another.

Rita's books, Dear Me and Dear Us, are at the heart of this work. Dear Me looks inward through personal stories and letters to herself. Dear Us widens the conversation, sharing her experiences of receiving care alongside stories from other people living with mental illness.

The platform carries that conversation into everyday life. It offers ways to explore books, find adult education programmes, consider membership, and take part in events. Families and friends can learn about supporting someone they care about. Organisations can explore workshops, speaking engagements and opportunities to sponsor access.

Choose where to begin

You do not need to follow a set journey. You might begin with a story, read a book sample, or look at an upcoming event. Programme and membership pages explain what is included, who each offer is for, and any cost before you decide to join.

Our directory provides information about independent support providers. Each published listing explains when its details were checked. A listing helps you make enquiries; it does not guarantee that a service will be right for you.

Our relationship with Heart to Heart Spaces

Rita also founded Heart to Heart Spaces, a mental health community centred on the experiences of people seeking care. It is Dear Us' separate impact partner. We credit its work and link to its original resources rather than presenting them as our own.

Dear Us is a commercial platform with paid offers and public resources. When access is sponsored, the relevant offer explains what is being funded.

The scope of this space

Our programmes, membership and events are for adults aged 18 and over. They provide education and peer reflection. Dear Us does not provide diagnosis, treatment, therapy chat or emergency response. If you need urgent help, use the information on our Safety page rather than waiting for a reply from the platform.