Mission:

SPIF aims to create a community-based platform for organizations and individuals involved or interested in awareness creation, self-care, research, advocacy, training and suicide prevention to come and fight suicide together.

Initiatives:

Create content that highlights the problem, current gap, possible solutions, mental health self-care, suicide survivor stories, latest research, where to seek help and how to help somebody who’s suicidal.

Educate schools, colleges, workplaces and larger society about suicide awareness and suicide prevention, and also on how to avert a crisis by dealing with depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health issues through active self-care and psychological first-aid.

Teach individuals how to respond to somebody who’s suicidal or has suicide ideation through content, training, workshops, gatekeeper program (online and offline), partnerships, and assessments (depression, stress and anxiety).

Impart knowledge through multi-media content disseminated through mainstream media, blogs and through social media on how to best take care of oneself so that depression, anxiety and stress can be avoided or dealt with effectively.

Engage with the government to create and enforce a nationwide suicide prevention policy and an introduction of a single toll-free for suicide crisis helplines.

Objectives:

1) Reduce the number of suicides in India by 3-5 percent in five years

2) Certify 25,000 gatekeepers in 2018-19

3) Engage 1 lakh people on the website

4) To create a collaborative platform for those associated with suicide prevention

5) To promote global best practices for suicide awareness and prevention

6) Conduct surveys and research

7) Lobby government for a comprehensive suicide prevention policy and a four-digit toll-free number.

Founder journey:

Nelson Vinod Moses is a freelance journalist who writes on mental health and social entrepreneurship. His writing has appeared Fortune, Forbes, The Times of India, Quartz, HuffingtonPost, Businessworld, Business Standard and YourStory. He’s a founding Managing Trustee of Prafull Oorja, a non-profit that yoga training and services to under-resourced populations, including special needs children, rural women and youth.

Nelson’s best friend Ryan Bennett died of suicide (the story can be read here), this made a profound impact on him and over the years he has been researching and understanding mental health, suicide awareness and suicide prevention. Suicide Prevention India Foundation is the fruition of that journey.

Director:

Mary Christina Victoria Prabhu is an experienced teacher who has worked in organizations like Sacred Hearts Girls High School and Bangalore International School. Currently a homemaker, she’s passionate about education, persons with disabilities and mental health.