A walk to remember
“I wanted to do the walk for two reasons. Mainly to spread awareness about mental well-being and encourage people to reach out and not suffer in silence. But also to see the country and connect with people,” explains Nivendra Uduman, a psychologist who volunteers at Shanthi Maargam. Nivendra was inspired to do the first walk in 2016, when during flood rescue work he met Major Ruwan Ranathunga who had walked from Dondra to Point Pedro in 2014 to raise awareness on cancer. “I was inspired to do something similar because it hadn’t been done for mental health in Sri Lanka.”
Nivendra, Ranil and Sara.
Speaking of his first walk, Nivantha explains “I walk, and stop to talk to people. Each day on the walk I do about 2-3 speaking sessions. Some are random, some are planned.” Nivantha adds that except for one hospital that wasn’t very accommodating, the reception in general was great. “People were very open to listening to what we had to say.” Even people on the street? “Yes, people stopped us and asked us what we had to say. We handed out cards with helpline numbers so they can access help over the phone. People were very kind, they would offer us food, and sometimes even a place to stay, even though we had already arranged accommodation.”
On that walk, the awareness sessions were conducted for the civil populations and the military. This time it will only be for civilians.
That walk made a difference gauging from the rise in the number of calls on help hotlines. “Definitely. The CCC foundation line – which stands for courage, compassion, commitment – a counselling help line in Sri Lanka, reported an increase in their number of calls after we gave out the number on our walk.” Nivendra himself still gets calls.
“During the walks and in these sessions, people come up and ask questions. In that way I think the last walk was a tremendous success.”
Last time Nivendra focused on a general description of mental health: how to recognise warning signs, what are the risk factors to develop a mental health problem, and how to and where one could seek help. Also how one could provide basic help to a loved one until professional help is available. Alcohol and substance abuse was also broached. This time around the focus is going to be on suicide prevention. “It’s a problem in Sri Lanka and needs to be addressed,” Nivendra points out. “Death by suicide has reduced over the years. But attempts are increasing every day. Roughly 8-10 deaths by suicide every day. And 20 attempts per death,” says Nivendra who stresses that these are approximate figures. However, not all suicides are related to mental health. “Sometimes they are. It’s a public health concern. Our intention is to help people recognise the warning signs and how to provide basic first aid until professional treatment is sought. We want to encourage people to talk.”
He points out that it doesn’t have to be a counsellor. People can talk to a family member, a priest, anyone. “As long as you talk about the issue. We don’t want to say that it’s only psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors that can help, but also family. Talking is important as opposed to hiding it due to the stigma attached to it.”
Nivantha is passionate about empowering people to support themselves and each other. On his previous walk, he talked to people in various settings; at a tea shop, at a school, a bus stop, tuition class, government offices, companies, banks.
This time around while Nivendra and his team have a more definite idea on what they will be talking about, but the setting will still be impromptu. Three people will participate in the walk which is estimated to take 72 days.
The walk around the coastline will start at Mount Lavinia and proceed east, reach the North and then return via the West Coast. “We start on April 1 and hope to end on June 10.” Ranil Thilakarathne from CCC and Sara Nazoor a trainee psychologist and volunteer at Shanthi Maargam join Nivendra on the walk.
“I want to tell people it’s okay to talk about mental health and suicide. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all need to come together to shatter the stigma that surrounds mental health. We all need to listen. Not to judge. Show empathy not sympathy. Not give advice but listen and help find options when they are in a crisis,” sums up Nivendra.
For those who need a listening ear Nivendra suggests the following help lines:
CCC 1333 (9am-9pm)
Sumithrayo 0112696666
(9am-2pm)
Shanthi Maargam 0717639898 (24-hour)