Appeal

Transform the mental health of CHILDREN AT RISK!

17-year-old Guddi spent her childhood in a care home in New Delhi. She comes off as self - conscious, low on confidence and self-esteem. When meeting new strangers who ask her about her life, she withdraws into her shell. 

She often does not reply to questions, avoids eye contact by looking at the floor and goes into hiding for long hours, not making any attempts to come out of the room until persuaded otherwise for hours.

Her mother has been a victim of domestic violence, at the hands of her step-father. She has also been a victim of physical abuse at home during vacations. Guddi’s behavioural issues and violent actions stem from the stress and trauma in her life - a characteristic of many students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This is just one page out of the lives of many children. We would like to bring attention to the need for emotionally responsive and therapeutic practices in the processes of teaching. We are surrounded by people who are suffering in various ways, suffering in a manner that is not always visible or obvious, and so their pain goes unnoticed.

I founded Light Up - Emotions Matter Foundation in 2017, to integrate Social-Emotional Learning interventions into the day to day learning of children, teachers and parents to revive, reform and rebuild schools and high-risk communities. Our organisation helps children like Guddi equip themselves with social and emotional skills to deal with traumatic situations, build resilience and lead a happier life.

According to a report by UNICEF, 100 million children like Guddi are in the poorest wealth quintile. This state of adversity results in emotional issues that impact their daily functioning, state of mind and make them more prone to early stage mental health issues.  

Additionally, lack of training and expertise of teachers, parents, caretakers to deal with mental-health and behavioural issues in class-rooms and homes is a key challenge which is often overlooked. For children from low-income households, the situation at homes is often marked by recurring instances of domestic abuse and violence, substance abuse and sexual abuse. In addition, issues such as bullying, body shaming and gender-based harassment are rampant in India’s poorly-funded schools and urban, slums and high-risk communities. 

The Solution  
 

In the last three years, we have spent time in communities and carefully curated emotional Intelligence - Social Emotional Learning (SEL) workshops based on scientific techniques that are designed to cater to the emotional needs and requirements of children, parents, teachers and caretakers. 

SEL is a process through which children and adults (teachers, parents, community workers and care takers) learn to identify and understand their emotions and then are able to develop the attitude and skills necessary to manage these emotions effectively.  

Our presence on ground is marked by 12 programs in schools, juvenile homes, sex work communities and urban slums. These programs use various forms of art, theatre, music, sharing circles and activities to build emotional and social expressivity and management in children, parents, caretakers and teachers.

We also have collaborated with 30+ schools, colleges and organisations to conduct 1200 workshops to build emotional competencies.

The 360 degree approach, alternative learning strategies and customised programs results in tangible impact, in terms of :

(1) Building emotional intelligence through development of social – emotional skills, 

(2) Improving academic performance and reducing exam fear and anxiety amongst students 

(3) Enhancing well-being of students through prevention of early stage mental health   issues and behavior challenges

(4) Reducing instances of bullying, anger , body image issues

(5) Training and equipping teachers , parents and school leaders with SEL skills

(6) Reforming classrooms and school climate into a safe, positive environment and fostering better mental health practices

With 300+ volunteers, our impact is only deepening. We need your support in giving the emotional support to every child needs and deserves to lead a happy and fulfilled life.  

How you can help ?  

Donate

Every amount and contribution makes a difference. To help you understand, where the impact of your contribution, below is the breakdown of the costs.

As a token of deep gratitude, we will send you our e-self care kit, and a virtual photo message from our children. We will also keep you updated bi-annually, in the work we do with the received funds collected. If you would like to make a regular contribution or in case of any questions/queries please feel free to get in touch with us here. 

Help us to revive , rebuild and reform the lives of children from underserved communities to make a more compassionate, cohesive and happy society !

Spread the love and Light Up a Life today! 

Warm Regards,
Juhi Sharma