In the right frame of mind

'Not to be served, but to serve' is the motto of The Pelican Centre, a haven for the mentally-challenged abandoned by relatives and hospitals. The inception of the centre was the brainchild of Father Samson Kuriakose.

“It was on July 18, 2004, that we started a rehabilitation centre. Our main aim is to provide rehabilitation to the mentally-challenged. These people never get proper care or treatment from the hospitals and their families don't want them. Majority of them spend the rest of their life on the streets. They too deserve a life like us," says Kuriakose.

He says an incident that happened to one of his close friends provoked him to start this mission.

“A friend of mine suffered from mental problems. He didn't get proper treatment and when he was discharged from hospital, the family was not interested in taking him for further treatment. He was abandoned by everyone. We helped him get appropriate treatment. This prompted me to think of a way to help such people."

Currently, there are more than 100 inmates slowly coming back to the mainstream of life. They are nursed, vocationally trained and looked after by experienced medical and social professionals. 

“Once a person is brought to the centre, we admit them to a psychiatry hospital and once he or she can sustain on medicine, they are brought to the centre and are looked after. Though it is a slow process, if we offer proper guidance to these people, they will return to normalcy. Now, they are involved in work like art and craft, candlemaking etc," says Kuriakose.

The centre also provides physical treatment and rehabilitation service to those who cannot afford the huge cost of spinal cord treatment. Future plans of the centre include of the centre include opening a school for children with learning disabilities.