Newsletter: Rounding Up 2020, Heralding a Hopeful 2021

“No matter how long the cold, bleak days of winter may continue, winter always turns to spring”. – Dr. Daisaku Ikeda

After a distressing 2020, the new year heralds a fresh hope for the future. Reflecting on the challenges the past year brought us, we are looking forward to 2021 with a renewed sense of hope. With vaccination drives beginning all over the world, our lives are slowly springing back to normalcy. March 2021 marks almost one year spent in various modes of quarantine. After a year of collective anxiety over our futures, this year brings much needed hope into our lives.

As the pandemic reared its ugly head, the importance of mental well-being became paramount. At Sisters Living Works, 2020 was a significantly busy year. It was marked by various virtual events. In the light of the pandemic, our team made every effort to adapt to the virtual world. On the bright side, an online platform enabled us to reach out to individuals from diverse groups across the country. While the virus played spoilsport to conducting events in-person, we held one international and two national events online. All the events garnered an engaging response from the participants who joined in from across the globe. The year ended with a successful donation drive. Our friends and long-time supporters, Manju and Naren Bewtra of the Bewtra Charity Fund generously doubled the donations we received. Association for India’s Development (AID) also made a generous contribution. 

Expanding Our Reach

With the success of our online support groups and the positive response we received for our workshops, this year we are expanding our reach. We have increased our workshops and formed new relationships with schools and universities with the help of our newest member, Sachi Mulki. Sachi has completed her M.Sc Clinical Psychology from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She has been conducting suicide prevention workshops since January 2021.

Upcoming Training Course

Alongside our regular sessions, this year also marks the launch of our flagship course on Counsellor Training. The course focuses on promoting awareness of suicide prevention among school counsellors, equipping them with the necessary skills and strategies, and empowering them to foster the overall well-being of students. The team is currently conducting mock sessions, perfecting the course and its delivery.

India is still registering a high rate of COVID-19 cases. We look forward to being able to conduct support groups, workshops, and events in-person sometime this year, once the scenario presents a safe opportunity to do so. Until then, Sisters Living Works remains active and accessible to our community online!

With the help of the support we have received, and new plans taking shape, we are set to make bigger strides in 2021!

Here’s to a brighter tomorrow!
Team Sisters Living Works