Mental Health awareness programme for SHG members organized at Shopian

SHOPIAN : In a significant step towards promoting mental well being among rural women, the Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) Shopian, in collaboration with the Human Welfare Voluntary Organization (HWVO), organized a Mental Health awareness programme for Self Help Group (SHG) members of Shopian and Keller blocks at the District Mission Management Unit (DMMU), Shopian.
The session was attended by a large number of SHG members and JKRLM cadre, aiming to break the stigma surrounding mental health and create a supportive environment for women across the rural landscape.
The programme was facilitated by Adil Farooq, Programme Manager HWVO, and Syed Asma, a qualified mental health counselor, who led the awareness and counseling sessions.
Syed Asma provided professional counseling and shared practical coping strategies to help the participants deal with stress, anxiety, and other emotional challenges. The session proved to be deeply impactful for the cadre and SHG women, many of whom expressed the need for more such initiatives in the future.
Adil Farooq highlighted the importance of integrating mental wellness into livelihood and capacity-building efforts under HWVO and emphasized that emotional resilience plays a key role in enhancing productivity and social cohesion within SHG groups.
This initiative marks a progressive move towards holistic empowerment of rural women, aligning with JKRLM’s mission to build strong, self sustaining community institutions.