Realizing the visible gaps in care and attention that was formerly extended towards homeless women with mental health problems, Dr Vandana Gopikumar, co-founded The Banyan, in 1993 as a response to this dilemma at hand.

The Banyan is a Chennai-based NGO that aims at providing care and basic treatment facilities, thereby enabling women to re-integrate into the society. The idea behind Banyan runs deeper than providing medical attention to those with mental health problems. Dr. Vandana envisions on eradicating the problem at its root, primarily by addressing the lack of an efficient mental healthcare system in the country.

This indomitable strategist has been successful in partnering with government entities and policy makers to help re-design the standards of treatment and to liberalize the budgetary allocations towards the same. She advocates instilling more humane practices that are open and will tend to the long-term care of the mentally ill. Currently, she is working with the government and reputed educated institutions in an attempt to offer training to social workers in the field of psychiatric social work and to place them in both urban and rural areas.

Dr.Vandana was awarded the 2018 Penn Nursing Renfield Foundation Award for Global Women’s Health for her contribution to providing shelter and aids women with mental health problems in India. Over the last 25 years, Dr.Vandana and her friend and co-founder, Vaishnavi Jayakumar, has managed to help over 10,000+ women recover and to re-connect with their families.

Blog By Sunandhini