Haritha is working towards her goal of empowering women by providing them with mental health services and other resources.

Supporting Mantra to Initiate Life Enlightenment (SMILE) is a new and ambitious life-support initiative initiated by Haritha’s new leadership.The SMILE initiative has five pillars, the first of which is a mental health support system for female students. “We are giving so much priority to mental health support because of the increasing suicide tendency found among youth,” said Rumaiza Rafeeque, general secretary of Haritha State.After consulting with psychologists from all throughout the state, Haritha settled on mental health as a primary area of research since they realised that formal education alone does not equip students to deal with the challenges of real life. We want to reassure the pupils that they will find someone to talk to if they are having problems. Psychiatrists are on our team. We’ll put them in touch with the kids if the latter have a need for help,” Ms. Rafeeque stated.According to Haritha’s leaders, pupils are benefiting from the introduction of online psychological counselling. The student body is planning to launch listening centres in significant cities around the state to facilitate in-person discussions.
‘Shefence’
Haritha plans to begin instructing her female pupils in fundamental self-defence strategies very soon. Sometimes, the only person who can rescue a woman is the woman herself. The recent sad death of Vandana in a hospital’s trauma ward is a prime example. Ms. Rafeeque believes that women should be as cognitively and physically powerful as men.The app’s name, Shefence, was chosen by Haritha. Anshifa, one of them, is a Kalarippayattu master and will be in charge of Shefence. Officials from Haritha have said that the self-defence course registration link will be up in a few days. “In fact, we are proud that we have a martial arts teacher from among us,” she said.The SMILE initiative also places a premium on giving students a voice in the classroom. Haritha will provide preparation courses for a variety of exams, including those required for public service. Students at the Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal IAS Academy in Perinthalmanna responded well to a two-day residential programme conducted there last week. The training was directed by Mohammedali Shihab, an IAS official from the Nagaland cadre. Supporting Mantra to Initiate Life Enlightenment (SMILE) is a new and ambitious life-support initiative initiated by Haritha’s new leadership.The SMILE initiative has five pillars, the first of which is a mental health support system for female students. “We are giving so much priority to mental health support because of the increasing suicide tendency found among youth,” said Rumaiza Rafeeque, general secretary of Haritha State.After consulting with psychologists from all throughout the state, Haritha settled on mental health as a primary area of research since they realised that formal education alone does not equip students to deal with the challenges of real life. We want to reassure the pupils that they will find someone to talk to if they are having problems. Psychiatrists are on our team. We’ll put them in touch with the kids if the latter have a need for help,” Ms. Rafeeque stated.According to Haritha’s leaders, pupils are benefiting from the introduction of online psychological counselling. The student body is planning to launch listening centres in significant cities around the state to facilitate in-person discussions.
‘Fempreneurs’
The goals of SMILE also include encouraging women to become entrepreneurs and developing their skills. Aysha Banu, president of Haritha State, has announced the launch of a public speaking and photography training programme. In May, public speaking instructor Casac Benjali held a daylong session.In order to promote their goods, “we are shaping a community named Fempreneurs,” Ms. Rafeeque said.This month, MLA P.K. Kunhalikutty will officially launch Fempreneurs. The Haritha administration has projected that SMILE will be fully operational by the second week of July.