Healing through stories and acceptance
Oroddho Health is a youth-based peer support platform, founded by Awsaf Karim in 2019. It works to raise awareness regarding mental health issues, and is dedicated towards providing free counselling services through its Facebook page and group. The one-to-one platform registers a client and assigns an anonymous peer to talk. If the client requires professional help, the peer refers them to centres across the country, where they can receive free help. Since its inception, the organisation has provided services to over 400 people.
Awsaf recently came across 'The Depression Project', an international platform aiming to generate awareness regarding mental health issues and discovered that one of its founders authored a book about his battle with clinical depression and subsequent transition to a better life. "I loved the fact that someone mustered the courage to write about his mental illness and made the book free for others to be inspired," he added. In an attempt to apply the same concept in Bangladesh, he conceived the idea of Heal-Ink. It is the country's first self-help book brought together by 20 young contributors. The book presents 13 stories, 12 poems, 5 articles and 30 paintings from people who have defeated depression.
The team has also collaborated with four book bloggers, Mehrin Rahman (@the.literary.rebel), Niha Hassan (@booquotations), Shehrin Tabassum Odri (@fivehundredpagepaperback), Tabassum Irin (@whatirinreads) and Farzana Khan (@hades_in_hell), who are actively working under the banner #Bookstagramers_Against_Depression. "Since I have never published a book before, their support was crucial to ensure the resource is accessible to the right group of people," Awsaf further said.
Being a student of Army Medical College, Chittagong, Awsaf also trains medical students and intern doctors in peer-support counselling, so that they can provide basic mental health services to their patients. "I have struggled with these issues as a student, and I want to lend a helping hand to others so they do not go through what I had to," he shared.
In order to help people combat the pandemic, Orodhdho Health has introduced a Facebook group called Project Uddipok, where they share productivity lessons and provide mental support. The group has over 1,000 members and imparts members with incentives to spend their time wisely. "We have a theme for every given day and carry out thematic activities. Through this platform, the members interact with each other, share stories and empower each other," Awsaf concluded.
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