Anjali is one of the leading non-governmental organizations in India, based in Kolkata, that is working to secure large-scale systemic changes in the mental health field, by making mental health institutions, systems and communities intersectional and inclusive. They aim to achieve this, through ongoing advocacy for human rights and policy development through cross-sectoral partnerships with the Government of West Bengal, the media and the civil society.
Anjali works with a population that is resource poor. In hospitals they are dispossessed and in communities they do not have access to much resources. Thus, much of our work goes in ensuring absolute needs, i.e, basic human survival- water, food, shelter, sanitation, medical care. While this is a crucial and continuous part of our work, we also need to focus, with equal emphasis, on the finer aspects of human/social living, which are relative needs. These include equal opportunities, well-being, equal status before the law, meaningful employment, social justice and human dignity. That is the only way we can build social capital in communities and leadership in hospitals.
- Legal advocacy
- Legislative advocacy
- System advocacy
- Self-advocacy
Country
India
Anjali's Voices program is based inside four government mental hospitals in West Bengal, namely, Calcutta Pavlov Hospital, Lumbini Park Mental Hospital, Behrampore Mental Hospital and Institute of Mental Care, Purulia in order to fight stagnant and regressive systems to bring about systemic changes in the framework. Aims include:
- Human rights and person-centric treatment of persons living with psychosocial disability.
- Propels every individual languishing inside mental hospitals towards citizenship.
- Works on healing as well as enhancing the capacity of the residents using various mediums of DMT, art, music, drama, yoga and other sessions.
- Equips participants on livelihood skills aiming towards self-sufficiency & economic independence.
- Promotes and facilitates reintegration of recovered residents and social inclusion.
- Does thorough advocacy with government departments, hospital authorities and staff, caregivers of residents and other stakeholders.
Country
India
Janamanas is Anjali’s flagship community mental health initiative. The program was initiated to de-institutionalize mental health services and make it available, affordable, and accessible to marginalised sections of the community. The program works in partnership with Municipalities by creating a cadre of women from self help groups into barefoot mental health professionals. Objectives of Janamanas include:
- Creation of a community safety net for last mile communities to secure mental well-being for all, especially women.
- Building safe, informed and empathetic community spaces for the women, by the women that ensure the rights and wellbeing of persons living with psycho-social disability.
Janamanas shifts the paradigm of care from institutions to the community, and partners with citizens to identify and train local individuals to become change agents in the field of mental health. It de-stigmatizes and ‘normalizes’ mental health care through easy access to information, counselling or Talk-listen-talk model and referral services that are provided by approachable and empathetic para-professionals who are known and trusted within the community. It creates a eco-system that promote mental well-being, empowers women from community with limited formal education to become champions of mental health care which helps move mental health care services away from the bio-medical domination. Activities of Janamanas include:
- Counselling and Referral Service: In urban and peri-urban area there is a dearth of mental health support service for the resource poor community. The Janamanas program aims to bridge this gap by providing counselling and referral service to the community. The talk-listen talk counselling approach aims to address mental wellbeing, mental health issues that clients wishes to discuss at the safe space community centre. This service is provided against a nominal charge of 10-50 INR per client. The centre also provides referral services to the community, like help a client in applying for disability card, admission of a client in a rehab centre, mental health centre etc.
- Home Visits: There are times when a client is both physically and mentally unwell to come to the safe space centre for counselling sessions. The Kiosk or Centre Operators visits home of the clients, on request from the family members and for clients who are unable to visit the Kiosk.
- Linkages with local stakeholders: Janamanas program aims to develop linkages with local stakeholders like SHGs, Health workers, local administration, local Police stations, NGOs, clubs, schools and colleges, orphanage for strengthening the referral service and reaching out to the last mile community.
- Door to Door campaign: The Door to Door campaign are conducted to identify problem areas in the community that can affect one’s mental health, initiate discussion on mental wellbeing and promote services available from the safe space centre and to encourage health seeking behaviour of the community.
- Outreach Camp: Camps are organized ward wise where role plays and small group discussions are performed on mental wellbeing and to promote the services available from the Kiosk.
- Women’s Meet: Women’s meet is a quarterly event at the safe space centre where women and young girls from the community are invited at the centre to promote the centre as a ‘safe space for women’.
- Training and Capacity Building session: The Training program is critical for improving and the quality of services of Janamanas, empowering the community leaders and setting the team on a path to sustainability and set up an independent CBO.
- Annual Event: The program hosts annual events in various project sites to encourage community participation, awareness, and increase the program’s visibility and presence in a large scale.
- Family Meeting: A yearly meeting with family members of the barefoot community health workers are organized to encourage building a supportive and conductive home environment or them to continue working.
- Clients Meet: A yearly meeting with clients are organized to facilitate group bonding, peer support network, and mobilize better support within community.
Country
India
The Sexuality and Mental Health Institute (SAMHI) was conceptualized as an extension of Anjali’s work on sexuality and mental health. The aim was to reach out to students, young mental health professionals, medical professionals, lawyers and people working within NGOs, CBOs, donor agencies, etc. to learn and understand more about issues of sexuality and mental health so that programs designed and methods of intervention can be more holistic. The organization aims to encourage thought, study, enquiry and action, by providing a space for discussion, cultivation of ideas, breaking down of notions of stigma- with the penultimate aim of promoting inclusion of sexuality in mainstream mental healthcare services. The Institute aims to:
- Facilitate the understanding of the nuances of psychosocial disability and sexuality
- Create linkages with global work and programs that impact mental health
- Examine existing laws – both national and international – that impact the work on mental health and sexuality
- Discuss work that is already existing in the field and enable participants to connect their work with issues of mental health and sexuality
- Create a dynamic point of enquiry, study and action on mental health and sexuality
- Generate new ideas and public debates on mental health and sexuality
Country
India
Organisation
Address: P101, C.I.T. Road, Kolkata 700014, West Bengal
Country: India
Email: info@anjalimhro.org
