India, 2026
India, 2026
People who need mental health care in India
That is the estimate. It is not the surprising number.
People who ever ask for it
Between 70 and 92 per cent are never treated. Above 85 per cent for depression and anxiety.
Conversations about mental health almost never begin in a counselling room. They begin in a hostel corridor, a canteen, a group chat — with someone who already knows you.
What a fellow actually does
Make it ordinary to say it out loud on your campus, so that saying it costs nothing.
Know precisely where the help is, and walk people to it — campus counselling, helplines, professionals who can actually treat.
Recruit and lead around ten volunteers, then hand it over so it outlasts your twelve weeks.
Please read
This is not peer counselling and not crisis support. Fellows advocate, organise and connect people to professional help — they do not provide it. Where that line sits is the first thing training covers.
You are trained to recognise when someone needs a professional and to connect them immediately, including Tele-MANAS on 14416 — free, 24×7. No fellow ever handles a crisis alone.
Cohort One · applications close 20 August 2026
Four years and five months remain on it. We think the people closest to the problem are the ones who can close it.
Apply for Cohort OneNo psychology background required. No partnership with your university needed.
fellowship@ahatherapy.com