What 33 Boys & Girls Taught Me About Breaking the Silence

By Dipa Kuikel, Didi Mentor, Rukmini Foundation

On June 11, I went to Setidevi Secondary School in Talku. We organized a mental health awareness session there. To be honest, I thought it would be like any other program. But those 33 girls (and most importantly) boys taught me something important that day.

We had psychologist Kapil Sharma with us. He led the session. But the boys? They did most of the talking.

We started with one simple question: "In this stage of your life, what 5 things matter most to you?"

They answered quickly—money, school, friends, family, games, study. They were honest. That honesty made me realize again why we do this work.

Then we asked about social media. They said they use it 3 to 5 hours every day. Sometimes late at night. When we asked why, the answers surprised me. "To escape family pressure." "Because studying feels like it's never enough."

One boy raised his hand. "I compare myself with my friends," he said. Another said, "I procrastinate. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

These are not just small problems. If we don't talk about them, they become bigger—anxiety, low confidence, even addiction. When we talked about vaping, many of the boys already knew about it. "It's easy to carry." "It's cool." "It costs around NPR 1500." They knew the price and the flavors. But they didn't know the real risks.

That's where we came in. We didn't lecture them. We talked honestly. We explained how stress shows up—headaches, not sleeping well, feeling irritable. We talked about relationships too. We told them that "relationship" is not just about boyfriend or girlfriend. It means family, friends, teachers. It means respect and boundaries.

And we let them have fun. We did a movement activity—running without moving their feet. We asked them to shout "wooooo!" to release stress. The laughter in that room? It was beautiful.

When I heard that, I felt so proud. This is why we do this work.

Why We Include Boys

Some people ask me—"Dipa, why are you working with boys in your girls empowerment programs? Aren't you supposed to be focusing on helping girls?"

I tell them this: we will never solve the problems of discrimination against girls and women by only working with girls and women. The boys of today will be the fathers, brothers, husbands, and community leaders of tomorrow. If we want a society where girls are respected and treated equally, we need boys to understand that too.

That is why Rukmini Foundation has been including boys in our programs over the last few years. We are not just helping one group. We are helping entire communities change. When we teach boys about mental health, healthy relationships, and respect, we are planting seeds for a better future for everyone.

Why This Matters for 2026

This session is part of our big goal for this year. We want to provide mental health training for 500+ students. So far, we have done one session with 33 students. We are just getting started.

This work connects to all our other goals too—helping students improve their grades, teaching computer skills to community members, expanding our lunch program, and training our G.L.O.W. mentors. When children are mentally healthy, they can study better. They can grow. They can become leaders.

A Final Thought

To the 33 girls and boys of Setidevi Secondary School: thank you for being so open with us. You reminded me that mental health is not about fixing something broken. It is about giving young people the tools they need to be strong. And when we give these tools to boys as well, we are also building a safer, more equal world for girls.

And to our supporters: you made this possible. Every session, every conversation, every small breakthrough—it happens because you believe in these children.

With your help, we are not just talking about mental health. We are building a generation that knows how to heal and how to treat each other with respect.

With gratitude,
Dipa Kuikel
Didi Mentor, Rukmini Foundation