Health, WASH & Nutrition
Date: 22 April 2026
About the Program PANI’s Youth Mental Health Program is a pioneering rural initiative supporting young people aged 10–24 in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Supported by Indira Foundation (USA), the program integrates awareness, psychosocial support, family engagement, and community action through a trained and supervised non‑specialist workforce. The model is grounded in a social justice and equity lens, recognizing that youth mental health is shaped by structural inequities, gender norms, economic precarity, and family dynamics. The program uses a preventive, promotive, and stepped‑care approach to ensure timely and appropriate support for all young people.
Organizational Vision (2023–2032) PANI aims to build a resilient community ecosystem where youth have equitable access to comprehensive mental health services. Over ten years, the organization seeks to establish itself as a social innovator addressing Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in rural and excluded communities, while integrating sustainable revenue models to reduce dependence on philanthropy.
Mid‑Term Goals (2023–2028)
- Strengthen expertise in youth mental health and integrate services across all youth programs.
- Develop and implement a workplace mental health policy for PANI’s 1,000+ staff.
Short‑Term Achievements (2023–2025)
- Completion of Phase 1 (Jan 2023–Mar 2026) of the Youth Wellbeing Program.
- Successful testing of a non‑specialist, community‑based stepped‑care model for distress, anxiety, and depression.
- Integration of mental health services into youth empowerment and social determinants programs.
- Development of a trained cadre of psychosocial care providers and first responders.
- Partnerships with mental health organizations for capacity building and specialist support.
- Direct outreach to 43,000 young people in Tarun block, Ayodhya.
Impact Goal The program aims for young people to thrive within supportive ecosystems that prioritize wellbeing, agency, and inclusion. “Thrive” is defined through four outcomes:
- Freedom from violence at home
- Completion of education and/or skill training
- Engagement in meaningful livelihood pathways
- Demonstrated resilience and self‑efficacy
Target: At least 80% of participating youth achieve these outcomes over nine years.
Service Packages
- Youth Resource Centres addressing social determinants of mental health.
- Universal group‑based interventions including NIMHANS Yoga, digital literacy, self‑awareness, stress management, relationship skills, and Dance & Movement Therapy.
- Stepped‑care interventions: screening, social prescribing, one‑to‑one support, and suicide‑risk response.
- Family interventions: psychoeducation, conflict resolution, family functioning, and support groups.
- Community interventions: Marker Days and stakeholder groups.
- Capacity building and ecosystem strengthening: training, supervision, workplace mental health initiatives, alliances, and technology‑enabled monitoring.
Geography and Scale
- Phase 1 (2023–2026): Implemented in Tarun block, Ayodhya; reached 43,000 youth; layered over the Azim Premji Foundation’s Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program.
- Phase 2 (2026–2029): Deepening work in Tarun block and expanding to Kurebhar block, Sultanpur (from Oct 2027), also layered over the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program.
- Projected outreach: 64,931 young people across both blocks over the next three years.
Video Link - https://youtu.be/nftF63-BUH0
| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Tarun | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 01/02/2023 | 01/01/2026 |
| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Shriduttganj, Utraula, Naugarh and Birdpur | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 01/03/2025 | 31/05/2028 |
| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Sohawal | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 01/06/2025 | 31/03/2026 |
The project aims at addressing the urgent issue of malnutrition in two aspirational districts of Uttar Pradesh: Siddharth Nagar, and Balrampur. The project works to strengthen local systems and implement community-based interventions to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under five years of age.
| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Utrola | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 01/03/2025 | 01/05/2028 |
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Shriduttganj | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | - | - |
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Birdpur | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | - | - |
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Naugarh | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | - | - |
This pilot project by PANI focuses on enhancing health-seeking behavior in communities to boost access to NCD preventive services while also strengthening village-level systems for early NCD detection and prevention. It addresses both awareness and healthcare infrastructure to combat non-communicable diseases effectively.
| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Mall | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 01/05/2025 | 30/05/2026 |
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| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Haswa | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 07/01/2024 | 01/02/2025 |
To ensure the food security for 3750 poorest and marginalized households through establishing mechanism for availability, accessibility and affordability of food throughout the year.
| State | District | Block | Duration (Months) | Beneficiaries Type | Supported By | Fund Type | Gram Panchayat | Total Beneficiaries | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur | Ramnagar | 12 | Fellows | Cipla Foundation | Indian Funds | Ibrahimpur Diwli, Hajipur Barsandi, Raunahi, Sanaha, Tahseenpur, Magalsi, Dhannipur, Kalafarpur, Haribandhanpur, Ismail Nagar Sihora | 2500 | 01/04/2024 | 01/02/2025 |