Taskeen Health Initiative

Taskeen (": to comfort") is a non-profit organization works that is a pioneer in the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness in Pakistan. We aim to change people's attitudes, behaviours and perceptions towards health and wellbeing in Pakistan. Our unique approach places a great emphasis on incorporating the lived experiences of sufferers to produce content that resonates with the masses. Our objectives are: 1.) To become pioneers in the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness in Pakistan by: a. Raising awareness about the importance of mental health and reducing the stigma against mental illness. b. Educating people about the causes,... read more Taskeen (": to comfort") is a non-profit organization works that is a pioneer in the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness in Pakistan. We aim to change people's attitudes, behaviours and perceptions towards health and wellbeing in Pakistan. Our unique approach places a great emphasis on incorporating the lived experiences of sufferers to produce content that resonates with the masses. Our objectives are: 1.) To become pioneers in the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness in Pakistan by: a. Raising awareness about the importance of mental health and reducing the stigma against mental illness. b. Educating people about the causes, signs, symptoms and management of mental health problems. c. Encouraging healthy expression to help people build their resilience and improve communication 2.) To become advocates for mental health by: a. Establishing the importance of mental health at par with physical health among the key stakeholders in the country b. Lobbying the government to sufficiently address mental health in the national healthcare policy and allocate substantial funds for it. Taskeen Community is a program that aims to fulfill Taskeen's vision of wellness promotion and mental illness prevention by developing and conducting community based workshops. We have reached more than 20,000 people through our activities. The Taskeen Digital Program aims to fulfill the organizational vision by using social media campaigns, mass media campaigns, an online mental health portal and a mobile application. While the online mental health portal has been active since October 2016, a pilot social media campaign was initiated in February 2019. The pilot proved to be successful and we achieved the following impact by December 2019: 1.) 3.2 million people reached on Facebook and 2.2 million people on Instagram 2.) 1.1 million people viewed our content on Facebook and 1.4 million on Instagram 3.) 32 thousand people engaged with our content on Facebook and 42 thousand on Instagram 4.) 9006 people used the online mental health portal Taskeen.org or contacted us for help/information via phone, WhatsApp, email or social media channels We also piloted mass media activities by appearing on 3 talk shows on TV channels which had a sizeable reach of approximately 2 million people. The Taskeen Advocacy Program aims to bring about policy change regarding mental health in Pakistan. Along with gaining momentum through our digital activities, we intend to bring this about by conducting a nationwide mental health survey, forming a mental health coalition and using the data gathered along with the power of the coalition to lobby the government to bring about the intended change.