This project, funded by Australian Volunteers International (AVI) under the Community Grant Scheme, will work to address misconceptions, negative attitudes and beliefs, direct and inherited stigma about mental health through a series of innovative information sessions on mental illness for people who are social change-makers, private sector employees, government workers and development aid workers. The project will develop and test the material and build a model that can be replicated for wider use.
The project will seek improve the social environment for people who would otherwise inhibit the symptoms of mental illness and would not seek health care.
Survivors Nepal so far has conducted a multitude of orientation sessions at various organizations such as Hyundai Nepal, Dristi Nepal, British Gurkhas Nepal, Frost and Sullivan, Soaltee hotel, NMB bank, Standard Chartered bank, Himalayan bank, Forget Me Not NGO, Team Quest, City Express and Creative Hands of Deaf Women. In these sessions, information regarding mental health issues, their signs and symptoms, and the stigma associated with them was discussed. Alongside this, information regarding how to tackle these issues was also shared. At the end of each session, the participants were made to take a pledge to end mental health stigma in Nepal.
In addition to these orientation sessions, Survivors Nepal also teammed up with the bands Shree 3 and ASM to organize a rock of a cause concert at Shramik Shanti school, in which a session regarding mental health was conducted for the students, followed up by performances by the bands.
Furthermore, Survivors Nepal has also teammed up with prominent Nepali artists and politicians such as Ranju Darshana, Gagan Thapa, Samriddhi Rai, Malvika Subba, Faija Parween, Bipul Chettri to produce videos in which they share their thoughts on mental health issues, the stigma associated with the issues, and call for an end to the stigma associated with mental health issues in Nepal.