This 25-strong team is all about equity and inclusion - the core belief that drives The Banyan.
Participant Case Studies
THIRUSELVI RUNS!
Thiruselvi works in the tailoring unit run by the Vocational Training Centre at The Banyan and is seen as an inspiration by many.
Thiruselvi suffered from Bipolar Affective mental illness. She hails from Gudalur, in Tamil Nadu. She studied Psychology at degree level but has yet to complete it. The onset of her illness was during the time she delivered her child. She was supported for sometime by her husband who helped her consult a psychiatrist in Coimbatore. Eventually he gave up on her and left her back at her parent's house with a few months old baby. At that point of time, Thiruselvi was not able to recover from the illness because of the lack of access to treatment. Not knowing how to handle the issue the family too reeled under pressure. It was at this stage that Thiruselvi wandered away from home with her small son. She reached Chennai and kept wandering on the streets of the city. At this stage she was rescued by the police and admitted into The Banyan. While in the grip of her illness, Thiruselvi was not in a position to give adequate care or even fend for her small son. It was horrific for her to know that she actually lived off the streets in her abject state of neglect and lack of consciousness with the two year old clinging to her.
The child was shifted to a better environment and is now in a children's home. Post rescue and treatment, Thiruselvi recovered and is recuperating well. She goes to meet her child once a month and is happy about his well being. She works well in the tailoring unit at The Banyan. Being the strong woman that she is, Thiruselvi also takes care of many other women in The Banyan. She has plans for other members, and has been very instrumental in launching the support group of The Banyan, VIZHUDUGAL. She is the president of this group. She is also involved in theatre activities, primarily to create awareness on Mental Health issues and has been the spokesperson for the many women who have suffered similar issues in silence. She has taken the story of her life to a large audience and stands as a testimony that 'mental illness can be cured' and that there is life after mental illness.
Now she is running with pride in the Mumbai Marathon, alongside her friends; Banyan staff, volunteers, supports and celebrities, to unite in her vision of inclusiveness and equity.
TANIA RUNS!
Tania is part of the fundraising and social enterprise team at The Banyan.
Tania comes from the UK and has moved 5,000 miles to India just to work for The Banyan! She studied psychology in the UK and worked with mentally ill people who had just come out of hospital
and were attempting to live back in the community. Tania has been aware of issues related to mental health since she was a child; dealing with her misdiagnosed and untreated uncle's paranoid schizophrenia and her grandmother's manic depression. The way in which the stigma of these illnesses isolated her close family from society influenced her decision to work within the mental health field particularly on raising awareness. This grew into an interest in NGOs, development and social change. She was drawn to The Banyan by their ground breaking work within mental health in India and breaking the taboo surrounding it.
She too is running the Mumbai Marathon; to be part of Team Banyan; to demonstrate that people from all walks of life can walk together . united.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
HELP Chennai go the distance for India's mentally ill!!
Our monthly 7 lakh deficit stands, after 12 months, at 84 lakh. Over half of this, 44 lakh, has been raised internally through the hard work and motivation of each department within The Banyan! For example, through pledges, our admin department raised 10 lakh, our Transit Care staff raised 3 lakh and our Community Mental Health Project, with the help of Kovalam locals and the women's Self Help Group also raised 3 lakh. Our Board of Trustees has also pitched in and has pledged to double what The Banyan Team makes which makes our running total a massive 44 lakh!!!
We now need support to bridge the gap and raise the remaining 40 lakh through external donations from people like YOU!! This will allow our vision to continue; for the rights and needs of India's marginalized population to be addressed without exception. Help us to support this vision of inclusion and equity and PLEDGE TO SUPPORT TEAM BANYAN!
http://giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/TeamBanyanRuns
OR visit us to make your donation and meet the team!
