UMEED & You are Helping So Many Sisters Live a Better Life!

Here’s a real story that might easily resonate with you.

When 26-year old Arshpreet Kaur* (*name changed) came across the UMEED flyer pinned to the Gurdwara Sahib bulletin board, she knew she just had to call the helpline number and seek support. For more than three years now, she had been struggling with recurring waves of unpleasant memories, her past haunting her like a phantom. 

Engaged to be married to Harkirat* (*name changed) three years ago, Arshpreet knew something wasn’t right about the relationship despite the consent and blessings of both their families. Harkirat was a violent man, frequently subjecting Arshpreet to physical abuse. Soon enough, Arshpreet broke off the engagement, even as her accusations against Harkirat were met with denial from his family.

UMEED is making a BIG difference to the lives of people in the Sangat and beyond.

Time flowed by. Years passed.  But she found herself utterly incapable of finding love again. The hurt and humiliation that Harkirat had caused her triggered an emotional paralysis that kept her from pursuing another relationship.

One Flame of Hope Lighting up Many Dark Lives

A UNITED SIKHS community-driven initiative, UMEED helpline, has been designed to provide social support, prevention strategies, and access to relevant resources and professionals to people grappling with personal issues.  

UMEED exists for a reason; it is meant to lend a hand to those who believe they are hurtling down an abyss

UMEED, meaning hope, was born out of a profound need to reach out to people – the Sikh Sangat as well as wider South-Asian community – who feel alone and distressed, not least because subjects like domestic violence, matrimonial discord, mental health, physical abuse, and substance abuse still make for deeply unsettling, taboo-ridden conversations.

Being confidential, free and 24*7 accessible, UMEED allows people to pour their heart out, get help with the right kind of resources, and subsequently come out of their predicament – with 100% privacy. 
 

Catharsis – at Last!

When Arshpreet dialed the UMEED helpline, all she wanted was for someone to tell her that the abuse and trauma  she had suffered wasn’t her fault; that breaking up with an abusive  man was the right thing to do, and – most  importantly – that not all men were alike. It was time to move on, because being stuck in the past was only letting her wound fester. It was time to begin healing; to begin hoping.

That’s just what UMEED helped her out with – she was promptly given access to a handful of resources in her area, including local counselors and psychologists who’d counsel her, and help her come out of her painful mental limbo.

You are the Help we Need!

Needless to say, Arshpreet needed someone who’d understand South-Asian culture with all its mores and morals, its nuances and taboos. She needed someone to empathize with her, to grasp exactly why she was feeling the way she was.

But Arshpreet isn’t the only one! We at UMEED need qualified persons of South-Asian origin, or those with a deep understanding of South-Asian culture, to volunteer as counselors and mental health professionals in order to help daughters and sisters like Arshpreet come out of toxic relationships, unscathed and stronger!  

Moreover, you are just as valuable to us if you decide to serve the Sangat through UMEED as a legal professional, medical expert, marriage counselor, or senior care provider.

Notwithstanding the ubiquity of such incidents, these remain largely unreported – most often – for fear of social stigma.

If you’d really like to volunteer but can’t do so because of whatever reason – you may always express your faith in the sewa UMEED is rendering by supporting it with a donation!