Deepa Pawar’s Mental Justice Initiative for Nomadic Women

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Deepa Pawar is a trailblazer for women’s mental health in Maharashtra’s nomadic and denotified tribes. As the only woman from a nomadic community who provides mental health support, she has been instrumental in bringing attention to mental health as a social justice issue.

In 2018, Deepa founded a mental health program to help communities with limited access to public or private healthcare for mental illness. Her initiative, called ‘Mental Justice’, focuses on providing mental health support to youth and women in colleges, rural areas, and Adivasi villages. She has also developed a unique approach to raising awareness and reducing stigma around mental health, which she calls ‘Mann Mela.’ The initiative uses games, songs, discussions, and other fun and accessible methods to engage youth on the subject.

Since the founding of Anubhuti Trust, Deepa has provided mental health awareness and counseling services to diverse community members across Thane and Mumbai districts. She has worked with government agencies, healthcare providers, sanitation workers, teachers, students, and corporators to provide mental health support and awareness.

Re-reported from the story originally published in The Free Press Journal