“Programming for Inclusion of persons with Psychosocial disabilities within Development:

A Capacity Building Program”.

(2017-2023)

Bapu Trust, Pune initiated a program for partnering with organizations in the development sector in order to build program capacity on community mental health and inclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities, in 2 states of India viz Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The program supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation [PHF] and the International Disability Alliance is in its third year of partnership with implementing partners. The training for NGOs on psychosocial wellbeing and inclusion has been evaluated by an external evaluator and can be found here[1]

Backdrop– The association between psychosocial health and development comes from research showing the impact of social, economic and physical environments on psychosocial health and disability. Gender, marital conflict/ marital disruption, poverty, financial instability, debt, unemployment, unstable housing, less favorable housing conditions, violence, social disorder and migration are known to affect psychosocial health. Poor quality of health care, especially malnutrition, could result in impacting mental health also.

Integrated development could bring improvement to psychosocial health and quality of life. Where integrated services are absent, or where people with disabilities have difficulty in accessing those services, psychosocial aspects needs to be also built into development programs. We need to work on both social conditions that place people at risk of developing psychosocial disabilities; and on creating support systems and institutionalized structures that address psychosocial health in an organic manner and in the context of the right to live in communities.

Program Highlights– In our view, stakeholders working across development projects and development goals such as health, education, gender justice, community development, employment and livelihoods, housing etc. share a vision and desire for inclusion. Inclusion within communities requires skill sets for all stakeholders, including: service providers, family members, community members, and people working at the intersection of varied development sectors.

The BT would like to offer capacity building programs to organizations working in community mental health, disability and the development sector to create enabling environments for community mental health; and; inclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities.

The training program is designed to enable community based organizations to bring a disability inclusion perspective to their work with communities from a psychosocial frame.

We are opening the training program to organizations in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, currently.

• If your organization works on development/disability/mental health goals,
• If you work with vulnerable groups including tribal communities, indigenous groups, women, rural communities, urban low income communities
• If you are located in Chhattisgarh / Madhya Pradesh
• If mental health, wellbeing and inclusion interest you,
• If you wish to know more about the program: