By Dr Wilona Annunciation & Ms Ratandeep Chawla for BISMumbai

The Healthy Mind Camp, one of Prafulta’s Silver Jubilee initiatives, was held in celebration of World Mental Health Day 2022. It was organised on 9 October 2022, from 1000 - 1400 hours at 3 different locations simultaneously: Dominic Savio School -Andheri, Don Bosco International School - Matunga, and Don Bosco Secondary School - Nerul.

The underlying theme of the camp was “Joy of Giving”, highlighting the need to give emotional health to loved ones through the Camp. The organisers had a team of 75 professionals, 30 volunteers in 3 locations and together they managed to reach out to 206 clients. The professionals at each place comprised a team of Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Remedial Educators, Occupational Therapists, Career Guidance Counsellors and Counselling Psychologists.

The promotion for the Healthy Mind Camp was done in advance around the respective localities, through schools, colleges, bastis and churches. A core team of seven Prafulta professionals, with the expertise of Fr Godfrey D’Sa, the Director, brainstormed and created a plan to ensure smooth operations. The HOD’s of different departments arranged for professionals at each of the locations and prepared them for the camp. The professionals were divided into location-wise Whatsapp groups, which facilitated easy and quick communication across teams.

A 35 year-old lady broke down during counseling and said that she felt so cared for while she was being listened to. Each of the mental caregivers gave her a listening ear and addressed her doubts. A social worker, dedicated to her work, brought 10 children from a nearby basti for screening. An ADHD child’s mother said: “It’s a festival today, but I did not want to miss this, as I want the best for my son, and this needs to start as early as possible.”

The professionals found the arrangements comfortable and well-organised. Dr Somil Savla, a psychiatrist said: “This is the first camp where I am so calm.” It was heartening to see that so many people came forward to volunteer and were very happy and proud to be associated with Prafulta. One of the volunteers said that it was incredible that the 4 hours just passed by so fast as the initiative indeed was very satisfying.