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Janamanas

Janamanas, literally translating to ‘mind of the collective’ 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

  • 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.

Project Implementation

  • Bishnupur Panchayat
  • Coochbehar Municipality
  • Purulia Municipality and Gram Panchayat
  • Kamarhati Municipality
  • Khardah Municipality
  • North Dum Dum Municipality
  • Rajarhat-Gopalpur Municipality

Janamanas; Mind of the Collective

Mental health remains a neglected and ‘invisible’ segment within the broader domain of health. According the World Health Organization, there is a 75% treatment gap for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in Low and Middle Income Countries like India. Persons suffering from psycho-social disabilities live with stigma, and ‘voicelessness’ that is as destructive as the condition itself. Anjali addresses these critical gaps through a twofold strategy: one, to establish a positive and a rights-based approach to mental health within the mainstream health paradigm of India by humanizing existing public mental health institutions, and: two, setting up innovative community mental health programs through strategic partnerships with local governments.

While working within government hospitals to improve mental healthcare processes, Anjali also worked closely with the communities of the individuals who have lived in mental health institutes. Often, once treated medically individuals needed the support of their entire communities to be reintegrated fully. Moreover, given the inadequacy of public hospitals in meeting the demands of the more than 20 million Indians who live with acute psychosocial disorders, the need to provide a range of services at the level of the last mile community became increasingly critical for securing mental health for all. Thus, working through the full continuum – from hospital to families and communities- has given Anjali a vantage point to observe, experience and address the rough terrain for persons with psycho-social disabilities. It has also enabled Anjali to engage critically at different points in the lifecycles of their participants – from psychological breakdown to institutional care to recovery to rehabilitation to community integration to inclusion to wellness and finally, to rights and self-determination.

Janamanas, the community mental health program echoes Article 19 of United Nations Conventions of Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD). Ratified by India in 2007, the UNCRPD recommends and states the rights of persons with psycho-social disabilities to live in communities with equal choices and opportunities. The program initiated in 2007, partners with local governments and communities to empower women as barefoot mental health care professionals. Partnership with local governing bodies ensures the program is sustainable and replicable across India. Janamanas was recognized as “Best Practice Model” in 2011 by the Government of India as part of urban governance.

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

  • 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.