How Hindujas are Turning Mental Health Stigma into Support in India

The Hinduja Foundation, the philanthropic wing of the 100-year-old Hinduja Group is responding to the problems of mental health in several ways, by partnering and initiating different programs.

Highlighting the wellbeing of the communities and creating prevention and holistic care awareness through them, the Hinduja family-led foundation is undertaking the initiatives of the awareness through wellness counselling which guarantees the holistic healthcare.

They have also come up with community centres that offer different services like yoga and meditation.

Hinduja Family’s Major Mental Health Programs

The Hinduja Foundation joined hands with the Chopra Foundation, and held “Never Alone Global Mental Health Summit”. This was an event aimed at creating awareness of mind-body wellness, destigmatising mental suffering, and the philosophy of “You are never alone”. The Hinduja Family also sponsored other awareness campaigns in a bid to avail easy support services such as counselling and awareness. The Hinduja Foundation also set up community wellness centres which provided services like stress management, yoga and meditation. These centres were also in place to offer supportive environments where the people were familiarised with the concept of healthy living.

De-stigmatisation campaigns are being undertaken by the Hinduja foundation. The Hinduja Family has triggered the motivation that is sponsored to decrease the stigma that is attached to the mental illness that covers awareness campaigns and supportive services that are provided to the people in need. They are providing a more integrated well-being care since these events provide a health strategy consisting of physical, mental and emotional health.

Healthcare Integration

Besides the specialised programs of Hinduja Foundation, the Hinduja Family is endeavouring to incorporate mental health care programs to its larger healthcare agenda. Such programs also fit in the philosophy of the Foundation that the true well-being of a person should consist of both the body and mind. Psychological and emotional support was also provided even in the program of the Hinduja Foundation, which works with children having Type 1 Diabetes. They have started a Diabuddy peer support system involving the new patients with older patients to get emotional and psychological support. It also offered counselling to enable children and their families deal with the difficulties associated with having to live with a long-term ailment.

Community and Support

The Hinduja Family has also stressed on the mental well-being of children by their initiatives. They emphasized the importance of sports to develop emotional and social responsibility of children. Their schemes involved the development of sports facilities and inclusion of sports psychology and nutrition services to the youth generation. Parenting programs, which can enable parents to build empathy, patience, and listening skills, that can subsequently make them understand their children better and build emotional well-being, were also introduced by Hinduja Foundation.

The Hinduja family has chosen to go holistic with its health initiatives that encompasses the body and mind - organizing their initiatives in such a manner that they are not only supportive but have a long-term effect in the health sector.