Wellness & Mind Care Initiative
Understanding Mental Health Among Stateless Communities
The experience of being stateless is deeply distressing, with multiple and complex layers of stress taking a severe toll on a person’s mental wellbeing. Feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression are all too common among stateless persons who are denied citizenship and identity documents.
This denial limits their ability to work, study, travel, or build a stable life — leading to an existence filled with obstacles and uncertainty. The lack of recognition and belonging crushes hope and dreams, causing long-term emotional trauma.
In Machar Colony, where large Bengali and Burmese stateless populations reside, mental health concerns often go unnoticed due to stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to professional care.
Income insecurity, unsafe living conditions, and few opportunities for growth further intensify these challenges, especially among women, children, and youth.
Imkaan Mental Health Clinic
As part of its commitment to holistic community wellbeing, Imkaan Welfare Organization established a Mental Health Clinic that provides counselling, therapy, and psychosocial support through qualified mental health professionals.
The clinic aims to:
- Create awareness about mental health issues within the community
- Reduce stigma related to seeking mental health support
- Assist individuals living with mental illness to lead productive and independent lives
- Conduct activity-based sessions to assess and address community mental health needs
- Provide counselling and emotional support to women and children in abusive or violent households
- Offer specialized care for young mothers experiencing postpartum depression
- Support individuals impacted by or fearful of COVID-19
- Create community support groups to foster collective wellness and resilience
- Address drug abuse among youth through counselling and referrals
- Deliver preventive mental health services for at-risk individuals
- Provide targeted support to stateless persons whose mental health is affected by legal insecurity and social exclusion
Current Programs and Activities
The Mental Health Clinic operates through a community-based model that combines clinical care, outreach, and preventive action. Current programs include:
- Door-to-door community outreach and awareness
- One-on-one counselling sessions
- Men’s group counselling
- Out-of-school children’s drop-in playroom, featuring structured therapeutic play supervised by a therapist
These programs ensure accessibility for all, especially those hesitant to seek formal therapy.
Impact and Outcomes:
Imkaan’s Mental Health Clinic continues to strengthen community resilience and empower individuals to rebuild their sense of purpose and belonging. To date:
Common psychosocial issues addressed include:
- Educational problems
- Depression, anxiety, and stress
- Substance use and addiction
- Anger and relational problems
- Postpartum and occupational challenges
- Somatic symptoms and sleep disturbances
- Suicidal, self-harm ideation or mania
- Housing, economic, educational and relational problems
- Barriers to accessing medical and mental health care
- Problems Related to Other Psychosocial, Personal, and Environmental circumstances
We look forward to support from interested individuals and groups to continue serving stateless communities in Karachi.
For more information on how you can help us, please click here to Donate.
Community awareness and participation is a core component of each of Imkaan Welfare Organization’s projects. Learn more about this initiative here.