Involvement of the community is the most remarkable feature of the activities and programmes of Nisham Foundation. Its motto- ‘Mental Health of the Community, By the Community’- is truly reflected in active participation by local community organizations and institutions, groups, and volunteers in every activity organized by Nishkam Foundation. More than 200 dedicated selfless volunteers organize activities in Community Mental Health Campaign and Nishkam Mukti programme. More than two dozen local organizations are involved in these programmes. Psychiatrists travel from faraway places to provide their services free of cost. Community leaders and local health officials are involved actively in the programme. People from the community donate generously to support the programmes of Nishkam Foundation. The credit of success of these programmes clearly goes to the community.

Examples of successful community participation in the ongoing programmes:

1. Community Volunteers (Nishkam Sewak): All the community based activities are organized by the volunteers from within the community. Currently about 100 volunteers are involved in awareness activities, mental health consultation camps, and capacity building activities of Community Mental Health Campaign, Sangaria. More than 100 volunteers are involved in Mukti Campaign- in the form of Block Level Nishkam Mukti Teams and the Mukti Care Teams for the chained patients. All these volunteers donate their time without any monetary or non-monetary gains. They come from all walks of the life. Their profile includes farmers, businessmen, teachers, students, recovering patients, psychiatrists and other professionals as well retired government servants. Though the volunteers are requested to use their spare time for the programmes, not infrequently they take leave from their regular work to ensure smooth and undisrupted execution of the ongoing programmes. It is these volunteers that the so called Nishkam Foundation programmes belong to. Actually these are the programmes of our volunteers. They are the main force giving momentum to our programmes.
   Cick here to know more

2. Nishkam Manochikitsak: While community volunteers are the backbone of Nishkam programmes, qualified psychiatrists (Nishkam Manochikitsak) and doctors (Nishkam Chikitsaks) provide services to the patients and guidance and training to the volunteers. 12 psychiatrists are involved in providing services in the Mukti programme in five districts. They accompany the volunteers to the villages and hamlets to see the chained mentally ill patients free of charges. 17 psychiatrists/doctors have provided their services during various stages of Community Mental Health Campaign. These psychiatrists come from Government as well as private sector.
   Cick here to see our Nishkam Manochikitsak
   

   
   

   
3. Nishkam Bhamashah: Nishkam Foundation depends for its financial requirements solely on philanthropists from within the communities, preferably the communities it serves. With its principled stand of not accepting any support from pharmaceutical or medical industry, Nishkam Foundation approaches people in the community for funding of its programmes. Since 2016, its monthly camps are mostly funded by the community donors. Programme Mukti also has started receiving a good response from the philanthropists in the community. Nishkam Foundation expresses sincere gratitude towards all our donors for their generous support and patronage.
   Cick here to know more
4. Sant Ashram Johdi Fakirawali, 3 MJD, Sangaria (Raj.): Situated 3 km from Sangaria town, the Sant Ashram Johdi Fakirawali is a major community partner in Nishkam Foundation’s programmes. Its Guardian, Mahant Shri Madhodas ji Udasin has been instrumental in convincing a number of spiritual and religious leaders having significant clout among the masses to be part of mental health awareness and other activities initiated by Nishkam Foundation. In the role of Prabhari (In-charge) of Mukti Programme, he has been visiting extensively in rural areas and motivating people to become part of Mukti Teams and help in rehabilitating the chained mentally ill patients in the community. A number of followers of the Ashram contribute to the Nishkam programmes as volunteers and donors.
5. Department of Psychiatry, SP Medical College, Bikaner: Since the year 2012, department of Psychiatry at SP Medical College, Bikaner- a medical college in the region situated about 250 km from Sangaria- has been a major collaborator of Nishkam Foundation in the mental health programmes in Northern Rajasthan. Its resident doctors along with some of the faculty members visit Sangaria every month to provide services in the mental health consultation camps and carry out field visits to see the chained patients under programme Mukti. Inaugural Function of Mukti Programme in district Bikaner took place at the auditorium of the department. Its HOD Professor KK Verma and other senior faculty is involved in various programme committees. They are also involved in research carried out by Nishkam Foundation.
6. Tek Chand Sidana Memorial Psychiatric Hospital and Deaddiction Centre, Sriganganagar Raj.): A private psychiatric hospital at district level has been partner in programmes of Nishkam Foundation since the beginning. It’s Medical Director, Dr Roop Sidana was a faculty for the training programme in Community Mental Health Programme. Dr Sidana and his junior colleagues have also been providing services in the monthly mental health camps, specially during initial years of the programme. Dr Sidana and his team has been actively involved in Mukti programme in district Sri Ganganagar. The centre has also been part of some of the research activities by Nishkam Foundation.
7. Seth Shri Sita Ram Sahuwala Charitable Trust:The trust has been providing place for organizing monthly community outreach camps at Sangaria. The dharamshala of the trust provides not only the consultation rooms, waiting hall and its courtyard for the camp activities but also provides lodging to the doctors from outstation, without any charges. This has been ongoing since May 2013 - nearly 25 days of huge premises every year for the service of mentally ill! A commendable contribution by the trust. We are grateful to the trustees and members of Sahuwala family. It is worth mentioning here that the family, now living in various parts of country, has its roots in Sangaria and had left the town in 1960s for expansion of their business prospects.
8. Vyapar Mandal, Sangaria: The local traders’ association named Vyapar Mandal was kind to provide its premises- a big hall for the community outreach camps and training activities during the years 2011-12.
9. Municipal Board, Sangaria (Raj.): The local governance body in Sangaria, the Municipal Board has been a part of Community Mental Health Campaign since its beginning. Various ward members (Nagar Parshad) attended two sensitization workshops organized in 2011 and have been active in spreading mental health awareness in Sangaria. Since 2018, the Municipal Board has offered to provide space for organize monthly free consultation camps whenever it is not feasible to hold camps at Sahuwala Dharamshala.
10. National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of Government Senior Secondary School, Sangaria: We have been fortunate to have active support from NSS unit of the oldest government school in Sangaria. 8-10 students provide voluntary services in the monthly community outreach camp. At times these volunteers also help in the awareness activities. The young enthusiasts directed towards the community work- that too in the service of mentally ill!
11. Sangaria Cable Network Services: The local cable network services operator was very generous to telecast mental health awareness messages and information about various activities of the Community Mental Health Campaign during 2011-14. The network also telecasted on many occasions a film named ‘Man Ke Darpan Mein’, a short film produced by Nishkam Foundation on mental health awareness. All this without any charges!! Kudos to the owner and management of Sangaria Cable Network Services.
12. Shri Narayan Anna-Jal Sewa Samiti, Sangaria: This is a local charity organization which provides free meals, water and tea services to the poor passengers at railway stations and homeless people in Sangaria. Realizing that many of our patients attending community outreach camp come from faraway places, the management of Ananna-Jal Samiti came forward and started providing free drinking water, tea and meals to these patients since September 2014. In every camp free meal is provided to about 150 outstation patients and their carers. This saves patients of inconvenience of searching for food, tea and snacks shops in a small town like Sangaria. Our sincere gratitude to Shri Narayan Anna-Jal Sewa Samiti and its management.
    

    
13. Dera Baba Kamaldev Trust, Sangaria (Raj.): The trust associated with a local Udasin panth ashram has been a partner in Nishkam Foundation activities in spread mental health awareness since 2012. The trust has also been arranging meals for the volunteers in the monthly free consultation camp.
14. Shri Gurunanak Dev Rogi Sewa Society, Srigangangar (Raj.): An NGO based in Sriganganagar has been a partner in Mukti programme in the district and besides organizing field visits, it has been providing medicines to the needy patients enrolled in the Mukti programme.
15. Sahara Sarwat Sewa Trust, Kalanwali (Haryana): A partner in Mukti programme in district Sirsa (Haryana), the Sahara Sarwat Sewa Trust has taken the responsibility of organizing field visits in Kalawali and adjoining areas to identify and treat the chained mentally ill patients.
16. Lord Shiva College of Pharmacy, Sirsa (Haryana): A partner in Mukti programme in district Sirsa, it looks after the patients in Sirsa block and also provide hospitality to the core coordination team and doctors during their field visit in Sirsa.
    

    
17. Community leaders and key persons arranging meals for doctors and volunteers: From time to time, community leaders and many key persons has been hosting lunch/dinner for the doctors visiting from Bikaner and Singapore. In addition, our doctors and volunteers mostly eat at homes of community leaders/key persons at villages and small towns during the field visits under programme Mukti. Retain the previous photos here. Nishkam Sarankshak- As a principle, we encourage families to be actively involved in the treatment process, including procuring medicines for their patients. This approach has been successful in most of our patients. However, some of extremely poor families of chained patients expressed inability to buy medicines. We approach the rich in the community to help these families by paying for the medicines for their patients. Many of them have been footing the bill of medicines for our chained patients for years! These Nishkam Sarankshaks (Selfless Patrons) are excellent examples of community philanthropy. We are grateful of each of them for their benevolence.
18. Mukti Prerak: Most of our chained patients under programme Mukti are in villages or small towns. They need close monitoring and supervision by the trained volunteers. Mukti Preraks are local volunteers who are trained to look after Mukti patients in the villages. For each patient a Mukti Care Team (MCT) has been formed and Mukti Prerak (liberation inspirer) is most important part of MCT. Mukti Preraks are the backbone of Mukti programme. We salute their selfless dedication to serve the chained patients.