Our Innovations
Atmiyata Plus
Violence against women is a public health and human rights concern.
- In India, 41% of women report experiencing domestic violence (DV) in their lifetime, and rates rose during COVID-19.
- Gender-based violence (GBV) is rooted in systemic and structural factors and is linked with poor mental health among women.
Given that mental health and gender-based violence (GBV) are closely linked, Atmiyata Champions called for an improved response towards GBV, especially during the pandemic.
‘Atmiyata Plus’ is our response to the community’s need to upskill Champions to address the link between gender-based violence and mental health. We co-created the intervention with Champions and community stakeholders, using arts-based approaches to enhance individual support provided.
Based on the pilot results, we aim to integrate the intervention at scale and address the link between mental health and gender-based violence.
We are now piloting the intervention in Gujarat, India.
Atmiyata for Urban Communities
We aim to adapt and implement Atmiyata for urban settings, where communities face different needs, contexts, and barriers to accessing mental health support.
‘Atmiyata Urban’ is our response to the need for accessible, community-led social and mental health support in urban communities. The intervention will explore how Atmiyata can be adapted to an urban context while retaining its core principles of community engagement, early identification of mental health concerns, and support through trained community-based Champions. We will work with community stakeholders and Champions to understand the local context and inform the adaptation and implementation of the intervention.
We are now piloting Atmiyata Urban in Pune, Maharashtra, to assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the intervention in an urban setting. Learnings from the pilot will inform further adaptation and provide insights into the potential for integrating and scaling community-based mental health support in other urban settings.
