Creating any art is a wonderful form of therapy. The level of talent does not matter because it is after all part of a healing process. Clients seeking mental healing and rehabilitation at the Cause of Our Joy Mental Health Foundation (COOJ) will attest to this fact as they find their way back out of the haze of mental illness back to the comfort of normalcy and thrive.
Based in Bastora, Goa, COOJ is a foundation that works to assist with mental health awareness and therapy in the Goan community.
Their main focus is issues such as psychosocial rehabilitation, geriatric and dementia care, suicide prevention and community awareness.
Since Christmas is just around the corner, it is time for the Christmas Hamper by COOJ. What makes this initiative even more special is the fact that these hampers are all handmade by the clients from COOJ, who are personally taught and trained to master various skills that will help them earn funds.
“As part of vocational training in psychosocial rehabilitation, we train clients in the development of various types of skills that will help fetch them monetary benefits. They earn incentives based on the work they do. The idea for hampers came about last year, and we were able to come up with hampers for Diwali, Christmas and Eid. Since then we have kept up with these hampers and this year sold our Diwali hampers already. Coming soon will be the Christmas hamper, all handmade by our clients who will not let mental illness defeat them!” said Chrissie Dana Gomes, a clinical psychologist at COOJ.
Having been embraced with a lot of love and selling out like hotcakes, this year the hamper is bigger and better with contents such as a gift lamp, table runner, wine bottle bags, poinsettias, cards and more.
The hamper aims at letting you use everything, including the basket that the gifts come in! Let’s not forget to give a shout-out to the happy donors of COOJ who support them either through funds or art supplies and donated decorations.
COOJ’s success stories make you realise the depth of suffering that mental health patients endure before they arrive at a point of stability. We know for ourselves that we have had days when we have been down in the dumps and have had the ability to pull ourselves out of the blues without having to seek professional help.
Enforcing the concept of art as therapy, Chrissie said, “For one, it gives the clients a safe space to try out different things and learn without being judged for their mistakes. It also teaches them about responsibility and empowers them to feel independent when they receive their income.”
The clients who make the hampers know just how bad it can get. Yet, they have the zeal to create something beautiful. This is what makes the initiative by COOJ not only memorable but inspirational.
If you have the opportunity to be the person who claps, cheers and gives somebody the positive response that will give them the strength and courage to keep creating, what’s stopping you from purchasing a hamper from COOJ this Christmas?
TO PLACE AN ORDER, CONTACT: +91 9822562522