Facilitating Conversations about Disaster Responses in Eco-sensitive Wayanad

BREADS was pleased to support a National Conference on Innovations in Interventions for
Indigenous Populations jointly organised by the Tribal Mental Health Project (TMHP) of
IMHANS Kozhikode; NIMHANS, Bengaluru; and Don Bosco College, Sulthan Bathery.
Scheduled from 9-11 January 2025, at the Don Bosco College Campus in Wayanad, Kerala,
the conference explored interventions for the indigenous populations of our country, with
sub-themes focusing on integration, mental well-being and mental health promotion, the right
to health, the right to education, the rights of children, women, persons with disabilities, and
senior citizens belonging to the tribal population, and the prevention of substance abuse,
prevention and the management of disaster situations and livelihood. A total of 90 papers
under eleven related themes were submitted by research students as part of the conference,
which indicates the scope and relevance of the discussion.
Among the conference themes, Disaster Management and Climate Change was especially
pertinent to BREADS in the context of its relief and rehabilitation work in Wayanad in the
aftermath of the July 2024 landslides.
Fr George PS, Executive Director of BREADS, as part of the panel on Disaster
Management: Experiences with the Tribal Community, brought to the discussion, the varied
and valuable experiences of BREADS in disaster relief and rehabilitation over the years.
In the context of the recent landslides in Wayanad, the BREADS team is currently focussed
on special populations—children, youth, women and other marginalised people—in the
areas of psychosocial care for trauma and stress management, capacity building to rebuild
lives as well as to prepare for disaster responses in eco-sensitive regions.