Community volunteers transform rural mental health treatment

In rural India, where mental health care is often scarce and stigma can remain high, a pioneering community-led initiative is helping to close the treatment gap for common mental disorders like anxiety and depression.  

Atmiyata—meaning “empathy” in Gujarati—is a low-cost, volunteer-driven programme that trains local community members to identify symptoms of mental conditions such as anxiety and depression, provide basic support, and connect people to services. 

Rather than relying on overstretched health systems, Atmiyata equips farmers, shopkeepers, and teachers—known as Champions—to provide support grounded in trust and cultural familiarity.  

For many, it’s the first time mental health care has felt both accessible and safe. “We used normal words while chatting… I would make them talk about the problem and try to explain to them,” said one Champion.  

The programme’s design draws on decades of global research into task-sharing, showing that trained community members can effectively deliver psychological support in low-resource settings. Influential studies included the MANAS trial in Goa funded by Wellcome*, which demonstrated the effectiveness of lay counsellors in Indian primary care; the Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe, funded by Grand Challenges Canada* and Wellcome; and group therapy trials in Uganda, supported by the Mellon Foundation, World Vision International, and others. These studies laid the empirical foundation for Atmiyata’s approach—and continue to inform progress globally. 

Developed by the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy (CMHLP), Atmiyata also builds on the organisation’s longstanding work on rights-based mental health reform. With support from the Mariwala Health Initiative*, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Gujarat government, a stepped-wedge trial found that participants were three times more likely to experience symptom reduction. The programme also demonstrated a $9.35 return for every $1 invested. 

Now reaching over 1.7 million people, Atmiyata is expanding. As it integrates into primary care and digital platforms, this and other community-led solutions offer a hopeful model for reforming systems through integrated, accessible and culturally trusted mental health care. 

*IAMHRF Member