SVASTH MANN

Mental health struggles among school-aged children are overlooked, underestimated, and largely unsupported—yet they affect everything from academic performance to social relationships and overall well-being.

In India, 50 million children face some form of mental health challenge, but school-based mental health programs are either missing or focused only on illness rather than well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) outlines four key levels for school mental health programs—promotion, education, targeted support, and professional intervention—yet India lacks a system that addresses all four.

Svasth Mann was created to change that.

We developed an interactive, evidence-based, 10-month curriculum designed for 7th and 8th graders in government and low-income schools. In their first year, students build emotional literacy through engaging, age-appropriate sessions. When they move to 8th grade, we go deeper—addressing critical topics like anxiety, bullying, and depression.

We’ve seen firsthand how urgent this work is. Many children we meet engage in self-harm or are at high risk for suicide. Standard assessments, like the PHQ and SDQ, failed due to comprehension gaps. So, we built our own clinically validated, Hindi-language mental health assessment—ensuring we can identify and support at-risk students more effectively.

Beyond the curriculum, we provide:
✔️ A senior clinical psychologist on campus weekly for children with severe needs.
✔️ Quarterly mental health workshops for teachers and staff, equipping them to support students.

✔️Regular one on one sessions with any staff who might need it.

✔️ Interventions with families when needed, if possible. ​

For many children, Svasth Mann is the only mental health support they will ever receive. And we won’t stop until every child has the tools to build a healthier mind.