The Healing Power of Connection
SAMHI is dedicated to changing the narrative around mental health throughout South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora. Our goal is to help people understand what can be done with knowledge and how it can be applied to their lives in trauma-informed ways. We engage communities in enhancing pathways to mental healthcare through local collaborations. The current focus of our capacity development is mental health literacy, cultural exchange and learning & community connection events.
Program Leadership
Sarah Fardeen (she/hers)
Our South Asian Mental Health Program Director, Sarah, is one of the co-founders of IMHA and a Bangladeshi Canadian. She brings 15+ years of experience in the mental health, development and humanitarian action sectors. Sarah is dedicated to building this program as part of changing mindsets and empowering the next generation of South Asians to grow in approaches to wellness.
SAMHI Program Team
Sarah Fardeen (she/hers)
Kartheyani (Karthi) Nair (she/hers)
Kartheyani (Karthi) Nair (she/hers)
Kartheyani (Karthi) Nair (she/hers)
Kartheyani (Karthi) Nair (she/hers)
Kartheyani (Karthi) Nair (she/hers)
Sarala Pradhan (she/hers)
Kartheyani (Karthi) Nair (she/hers)
Sarala Pradhan (she/hers)
Our Amazing Partners
Impact So Far, Past Projects
teachers trained on remote mental health supports
teachers trained on remote mental health supports
teachers trained on remote mental health supports
mental health & wellness workshops for adults
teachers trained on remote mental health supports
teachers trained on remote mental health supports
students served through wellness programming
teachers trained on remote mental health supports
students served through wellness programming
স্বাগতম। & Welcome to Kind to Your Mind
The Kind to Your Mind Project ran from May-October, 2020 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Created in response to COVID-19, teaching fellows worked with IMHA to design and implement project focused on improving mental well for school-age children during lockdown.
Fellows began by assessing the mental health of their students through phone interviews, confirming the initial hypothesis that student mental health would suffer during lockdown. Next, fellows designed therapeutic activities involving art (pictured left), writing and play that students could engage with from their homes.
Week-by-week, students engaged with activities and fellows completed weekly check-in calls with students to monitor their process. As schools prepared to open again, the fellows wrapped up the project by completed a post-assessment with students and parents, measuring the impact of the interventions on student mental health.
Welcome to The Blue School. We're glad you're here!
Founded in 2020, we’re a
youth-focused, trauma-informed entrepreneurship program in Dhaka, Bangladesh run out of The Tech Academy in partnership with the International Mental Health Association. Program currently paused.
Impact Spotlight
