Umeed, Our 24*7 Helpline, is a Potential Lifeline & YOU are Helping Sustain It!

Bani* (name changed) didn’t notice anything odd when her husband and in-laws told her they were going to attend a wedding in Canada and would be back within a day or two. The ‘wedding’ was in fact a ploy – her husband and his parents never came back, effectively abandoning the 23-year old, leaving her to fend for herself. Having newly immigrated to the United States following her wedding, Bani was suddenly confronted with the enormity of the situation – she was completely alone in an alien country, didn’t know a soul, and had nowhere to go. Her parents, back home in India, were in no position to support her financially even if she were to go back. Her spouse-dependent, legally grey status in the United States only made matters worse. Lonely and afraid, she reached out to Umeed.

Umeed assured Bani she wasn’t alone.

A Double Whammy :

*35-year-old Simran (name changed) had grown accustomed to suffering domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. However, things spiraled out of control a few months ago, resulting in him being sent to prison and her, being left alone with her two young children, aged 6 and 3 (the latter is a special needs child). Although subsequently released on bail, her husband refused to support her anymore, declining even to sign the soon-to-expire lease deed of their apartment. Her husband’s decision has left Simran in a quandary – she has no credit history with her husband having been the primary caretaker all along. With no hope of reconciliation with her husband, her only option is to get someone to co-sign for her on the lease. With the prospect of homelessness looming large on the one hand, and a bleak legal future in the U.S. – she is a dependent L-2 visa holder – on the other, Simran called Umeed, hoping it could hold out a crumb of hope.

For South-Asian communities, domestic abuse is the elephant in the room. But Umeed is here to listen – even if no-one else will.

‘Can’t Tell Anyone’

A UNITED SIKHS initiative, Umeed, a 24*7 helpline, was recently relaunched for a simple reason – to provide social & emotional support, prevention strategies, coordinated services information, and essentially any kind of resource to needy individuals in the sangat.

Given the stigma surrounding personal crises, Umeed aims to extend assistance with 100 percent confidentiality intact.From substance abuse counseling for young adults to domestic violence counseling for women and mental health support for those battling mental health issues – there is hope in store for everyone at Umeed.

Umeed, the All-Weather Friend to All

When Bani and Simran contacted Umeed, they did so hoping someone would listen.  We lent them a patient ear, assuring them that they didn’t have to fight their battles alone. Meanwhile, the UNITED SIKHS legal team is busy exploring options for fortifying their respective legal statuses, so as to enable them to gain rights to work in the United States and achieve financial independence. The team is also trying to find Simran a co-signer from the community with a sound credit profile for renewing her apartment lease. As for Mr. and Mrs. Puri, UNITED SIKHS are in the process of finding a mental health professional who will address their daughter’s problems, in light of the cultural beliefs and nuances of the family and community at large.

Hope Runs on Your Support

A wholly community-driven program, Umeed increasingly needs your support and participation to effectively bail out women like Bani and Simran. We need your cooperation to help parents like Mr. and Mrs. Puri.

Umeed needs volunteers to shatter the stigma around mental health problems – an ubiquitous yet taboo-ridden subject among South-Asian communities.

We need mental health experts as volunteers to go out there and conduct seminars and webinars, spreading awareness about mental health issues and the need to stop stigmatizing these. Umeed needs legal professionals to help women and men suffering marital problems, including abuse and abandonment. It requires professional caregivers to reach out to elderly members of the community. Last but not least, Umeed needs volunteers to simply listen, elicit a conversation, and become a ray of hope for the despairing and dispirited.

If you can’t volunteer but earnestly believe in the sewa being rendered to the sangat by our National Helpline Umeed, you could always make a monetary contribution! Your support, in any form, will help keep Umeed alive.