Mental health NGOs face challenges, steer ahead

From training staff to get adept with technology to managing with limited volunteers, they are doing it all

Most non-profit organisations in the mental health sector are braving challenges during the pandemic, while trying to continue good work. From shortage of funds to lesser capacity at centres, issues are many.

On World Mental Health Day, Metrolife finds out more about these challenges and solutions the NGOs have worked out.

Association for the Mentally Challenged (AMC), off Hosur Road (near Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology), promotes development, independence, economic sufficiency, community inclusion, self-determination of persons with Intellectual Disability Disorder (IDD).

Founded in 1960 by Dr D L N Murthy Rao, AMCs’ core programmes includes a special school, vocational training centre, sheltered workshop and respite care for the severely challenged.Its services are extended to 180 children, and the NGO extends holistic services to parents and families of the children.

Vani Manohar, secretary, says, “We are dependent on donors and function without any aids from the government. The pandemic has further reduced funding.”

The pandemic has forced AMC to stay closed as making children with IDD wear masks and maintaining social distancing is not easy.

Special educators at AMC were trained to be more adept with gadgets and technology tools to prepare individualised educational material for each child.

“These materials with other learning aids are door delivered every two weeks. Parents have arranged smartphones for distance learning for a few hours. We also supplied some used ones to families which didn’t have access to them,” Vani says.

The need for good technical staff and manpower is a constant challenge. “Focused individuals like trainers who can handle children with IDD is a constraint,” she says.

‘Donations reduced’

Navachethana Trust, a 20-year-old organisation, located in Banashankari Stage II, works with children with severe category mental retardation.

The Trust founded by Vijaya Nayak, has benefited around 250 children over the years. Manisha Gowda, coordinator, explains that the NGO works towards counselling parents, creating public awareness, and admissions for such children in the lower-economic strata.

“During April to June, we conduct surveys at households in the locality. When we find such children, we counsel the parents and help them send their wards to our school. We have individuals from 4 to 60 years there,” she says. The trust teaches life skills and helps handle behavioural issues.

Fundraising is a challenge. “Sanitising the school, providing residential children with masks has added to the expenses. Donations have reduced during the pandemic,” she says.

“Getting teachers is difficult. If teachers change during the pandemic, it will be the biggest challenge we face next year,” she says.

White Swan Foundation, located in Jayanagar, delivers knowledge services for mental health and mental wellbeing.

Started in 2014, its primary offering is the online knowledge repository available at www.whiteswanfoundation.org “It is available in six languages. So far, more than 20 lakh people have visited the portal for content,” says Manoj Chandran, CEO.

Their community outreach programmes have provided knowledge through training and other sessions to more than 20,000 people. “We have three broad set of functions: knowledge creation, community outreach and mass communications,” he elaborates.

The foundation launches new initiatives on a regular basis. Ever since the lockdown, they have been sharing knowledge through webinars. The pandemic and lockdown has impacted work. “We couldn’t carry out most of our community outreach programmes. Some initiatives, particularly employee mental health programmes, have moved online,” he adds.

“While mental health has become even more relevant in the current times, we are not seeing impact funds available for this space,” Manoj says.

‘Only 40 per cent capacity back’

Vishwas-Society for Mental Health, a 29-year-old organisation, has been providing free counselling services, since inception.

Ramesh Venkateswaran, co-founder and chairman, says, “We help people who are going through anything that makes them dysfunctional, suboptimal or uncomfortable.”

The NGO has helped almost 18,000 people who approached them directly, over the years. It has worked on workshops as part of school curriculums, apart from other initiatives.

“The process of counselling is reactive, our mission statement is to be proactive. We reach out to people to make them realise what they can do to be emotionally and mentally happy,” he says.

One of the biggest challenges they face is that the attrition rate of volunteers is high. “We only have volunteers, they are trained for the counselling sessions and a lot of time goes in retraining new candidates,” he says.

Vishwas’ centre was closed during the lockdown. “We couldn’t offer services for a few months, as we believe in the effectiveness of face-to-face counselling,” he says.

The centre has reopened with 40 per cent of its capacity, due to personal reasons. “The pandemic has raised challenges for everyone. We are trying to help people with the volunteers we have,” he says.