Zehn Ki Lehar is a community-driven initiative that brings together mental well-being, gender equality, and women's leadership to create sustainable social change.
The program has been implemented in two distinct locations—Dumka in Jharkhand (with a focus on rural and tribal communities) and Pune in Maharashtra (urban and peri-urban settings). This dual implementation allows the model to respond to diverse social, cultural, and economic realities, while retaining a strong, adaptable core approach.
Across these contexts, women face multiple, intersecting challenges:
- Deep-rooted patriarchy and restrictive gender norms
- Limited access to safe spaces for emotional expression
- Normalization of gender-based violence
- Lack of awareness about legal rights and support systems
- Unaddressed mental health distress and emotional burden
In many cases, existing interventions focus on economic empowerment or awareness-building alone, without addressing trauma, internalized oppression, and the behavioural shifts needed within families and communities.
Zehn Ki Lehar was designed to fill this critical gap by creating a model that is deeply empathetic, participatory, and transformative.
