Footsteps of compassion
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By Duvindi Illankoon
On August 18, Nivendra Uduman and Hansini Gunasekara will start walking from Sri Lanka’s southernmost tip Dondra Head in the wee hours of the morning. Their 45 day journey to Point Pedro will be long and arduous but the two psychologists are in good spirits. This walk-Footsteps to Freedom-is to raise awareness about the importance of good mental health around the country.
The duo initiated Footsteps to Freedom to do something about lagging levels of awareness when it comes to mental health in Sri Lanka. Nivendra is a counselling psychologist currently based with Samutthana- The King’s College London Resource Centre for Trauma, Displacement and Mental Health in Sri Lanka. Hansini is a researcher and psychologist; she also lectures. Hansini is an avid walker, so when she met Nivendra at a workshop and heard of this plan she knew this was an opportunity she could take up to indulge in a pastime while also sharing a cause close to her heart. Nivendra was inspired by an unexpected meeting with an ex-officer whom he met during the recent flood rescue operations in May. Moved by his conversation with the officer, who spoke about the often unspoken about mental health of those serving their country in the military, Nivendra decided to initiate a project to raise awareness around the country about the importance of caring for your mental health, and to destigmatize mental illness. “You find that the further you travel from Colombo, the less awareness there is about this issue,” he tells us. “So a walk from one tip of the country to the other seemed like a great way to raise awareness amongst people.”
Along the way, Nivendra and Hansini will conduct a series of workshops that will, they hope, go some way in tackling the stigma that surrounds mental health in many parts of the country. In conversation, Nivendra shared a few insights about mental health in Sri Lanka. It is already well known that the country has one of the highest suicide rates in the world- a 2014 report by the World Health Organization ranked Sri Lanka as having the fourth highest suicide rate in the world out of 172 countries. According to the report, the suicide rate in Sri Lanka lies at a 28.8 for every 100,000 people against the global average of 11 per 100,000 persons. To worsen this, the report noted that the results may have been underplayed due to the stigma attached to the issue and the criminalization of suicide in Sri Lanka.
Their goal is to do what they can to alleviate these numbers, even if it is as small as sharing with someone that help exists for their problems. “Many people feel ashamed about seeking help for mental illness and that’s something that needs to change,” says Hansini. “We’re also planning on distributing leaflets with details about organizations that can help, and that they have access to, so that whoever attends can take it home to their families.”
Right now, Hansini and Nivendra are seeking assistance with accommodation and covering other costs along the way. You can also join them for a leg of the walk. Visit their Facebook page for route information and for more details about how you can contribute- facebook.com/mentalhealthsrilanka