We never knew that an initiative once in our mind could turn out to be this effective and efficient. We never realised while visiting Soot Mill twice a month that it has been almost a year since we first approached the people there. Now, when we look back at this journey, it wasn’t as smooth as it might look at first glance.
So that’s why on the occasion of one year of this initiative, we have decided to present this journey of ours in front of you.
On the 31st of December last year, we visited Soot Mill for the first time. It was also our first community-based project. Soot mill is one of the 308 slums in Jaipur located behind Ram Mandir, Banipark. We did a bit of reiki and chatted with women and children on our way. The situation there was as grim as we expected. The living standards were below par level. Hardly anyone was aware of mental health and the diseases related to it.
So we organised Chopals and distributed pamphlets initially. Due to these activities, people started volunteering a bit and took some interest in what we had to offer. We taught them several things and consulted many of them.
We also conducted several activities to educate them about hygiene and cleanliness. As a result, we organised better waste disposal methods and eco-friendly ways to do the things that they were used to. Then we realised that one of their common problems was substance abuse.
Youngsters were quite prone to the ill effects of tobacco, alcohol and other harmful substances. We started spreading words related to it. They all seemed surprised to understand that substance abuse was itself a disease. People started approaching our Mobile Bus Clinic. We kept a record of all the people who visited us so that we could keep a track of their habits and inform them in advance about our arrival. We texted them whenever we paid our visit. We gave them free consulting and medicines which proved beneficial.
Then in the month of February, we organised Rang-e-Sukoon for them. It was an initiative to make them more participative. That turned out to be quite fruitful. More than 250 people from different Jaipur based organizations showed up. People made several drawings, wrote slogans related to substance abuse and the stigma associated with mental health. Overall they all expressed their desire to fight these evils. We were all so proud of them.
But we knew we had to do more to engage more and more people from the Basti. It was then that we came up with wellness programs and decided to involve children in those activities. Children in big numbers turned up the very morning we started these activities. We played games there, did different physical activities, did random events like giving a speech related to our primary purpose. Their enthusiasm was our source of motivation.
We used that motivation throughout this year whenever we went to Soot Mill. More and more volunteers turned up, distributed pamphlets and joined our cause.
Overall when we now look back at our journey, this model was a success. And its success is credited to several reasons, but mainly the following ones: It was cost-effective, it was a community-based initiative, so it involved so many of them to contribute. We involved children in this initiative, who will be our volunteers after a few years as they turn young.
Facts say that teenagers get prone to substance abuse easily, and by the time they are old enough to realise its impacts, they are already addicted. That is why, if they are taught from an early age about these issues, they end up forming a better society. Also, by the age of 15, more than 50% of mental health issues ponder them.
So including them in our monthly visits looked like an investment. They were much more engaged and excited about the activities we organised. They also shared all they learnt with their friends and helped us spread our message.
A New Beginning
By now we have realised the efficiency and promising results of our model, which we applied in Soot Mill. So after some discussions, we have now decided to expand our horizon. We want to spread the word related to Mental Health and Substance Abuse as far as possible.
That is why we are now adopting one more Basti. Also, we will be applying the same model in the village, Dhodhsar. We will be repeating the same cycle we followed this year, and we expect to see similar results.
We will distribute pamphlets, conduct Chopals, and encourage people to join our cause the same way we did this year. We will also be taking care of the nutritional aspect of the people in Dhodhsar. We will provide them with a healthy breakfast along with organising our other educational activities.
We are glad to expand our vicinity of Mental Health Awareness and to remove the stigma associated with it. If you would like to contribute in any shape or form to Mindroot, then you can do so by sharing this with your friends and family or by any means you feel fruitful. Until then, take care!