“Mangala” was rescued by the women who lead The Banyan, an NGO that is home to low-income women suffering from various mental disorders, most of them picked up from the streets. Mangala, who is following a treatment for a severe bipolar disorder which caused her to be cut off from her family, says that ‘In the first few months, I had no idea how to deal with life. Here I found a second chance, a second life. It’s the greatest gift any of us can get’.
The transition Center of the NGO, Adaikalam, is not a run-of-the-mill psychiatric hospital. Women are free to come and go, talk, walk, weep, play, or do various tasks. One of the managers of the Center notes that ‘We are interested in improving care for both men and women, but it is true that women, especially in our society, are especially vulnerable. In fact, many of them are found half-naked in the street, showing clear evidence of having been sexually abused’.
On the terrace, several women sew bags and purses, others make pillows or carefully weave baskets with natural fibers. These are some of the products sold in the Center’s retail shop, which let the women generate their own income. One of the greatest challenges has been to find living arrangements for those who, for various reasons, are unable or unwilling to go back with their families. For them, the organization has developed a program of Community Homes where six or seven women live independently while continuing their treatments under the supervision of The Banyan.
In India, ‘Mental health services are mostly inadequate; these disorders tend to be treated without taking into consideration a complex economic and social context. These diseases are closely linked to poverty, and close to 70% of the population lives on less than two dollars a day while 1.8 million people are homeless’, says the founder of The Banyan.
There is still much help to be exchanged by the human family.
Source: elpais.com
