Project Phoenix works with children who are in care, living in slums, child care institutions, or whose parents are sex workers to help build bright futures.

Working with some of the most marginalised groups in India, the young adults working with Project Phoenix are at high risk of human rights abuses and exposure to violence, and many do not have access to education or livelihood opportunities. This jeopardises their mental health and ability to have a dignified life. Project Phoenix is a one-year program that incorporates social-emotional learning, trauma-informed therapy, safety sessions and parent sensitisation skills to build emotional resilience among its participants. Through a waterfall approach, their participants become agents of social change in their communities.

What Others Can Learn

Project Phoenix is the flagship program of Light Up (Emotions Matter Foundation) which is focused on reaching an extremely marginalised and underserved population and is the only organisation in India working on the intersection between mental health and livelihood opportunities for this group.

Partnership With Ember

Still, in the early stages of the project, but with a view to replicating in other parts of India, Ember and Project Phoenix are working together to increase their visibility through a stronger communications strategy, growing their network, especially internationally, and developing a strong fundraising strategy.