Caritas youth task force strengthens disaster and mental health response in Kerala

Young volunteers trained under a Caritas-supported project are emerging as first responders in landslide-prone districts, combining disaster preparedness with mental health care to build community resilience in southern India.

WAYANAD, Kerala (Indian Catholic News) — Caritas is building a new task force of young people in Kerala to support local communities, strengthening disaster management while addressing mental health impacts, as trained youth volunteers emerge as frontline responders in landslide-affected areas.

Youth task forces trained under the Safe Within project are becoming “the first line of community protection for landslide-affected communities, blending mental health support with disaster preparedness,” according to the official Caritas India website on 13 January 2026. The initiative is supported by Caritas Internationalis and implemented by Caritas India with diocesan partners in Kerala.

That vision took shape on 13 January at Chulliyana Parish Hall in Cheriyamkolly, where the Wayanad Social Service Society (WSSS) inaugurated a community task force while observing Youth Day under the Safe Within Reconnect Wayanad and Vilangad project. The programme brought together young people, local leaders and volunteers to formally launch trained local teams.

Welcoming participants, WSSS programme officer P.A. Jose said disasters in Wayanad and Kozhikode “do not end with landslides or floods but leave long shadows on mental health, family relationships, and community trust.” He said the task force model “is designed to respond to both physical and psychosocial impacts.”

K.K. Asma, president of the Padinjarathara Grama Panchayat or village council in the Wayanad district of Kerala, inaugurated the task force by lighting a ceremonial lamp. She said, “empowered communities with trained youth volunteers can face emergencies with courage, coordination, and clear information,” and described youth as “the backbone of local resilience,” according to the Caritas India website.

Presiding over the event, WSSS Executive Director Fr Jinoj Palathadathil said the task force was “a symbol of solidarity and hope, not just a list of names.” He urged volunteers to combine discipline with empathy and to see each intervention as service to the most vulnerable.

Fire and Rescue Services Station Officer Nideesh Kumar, delivering the keynote address, said trained community volunteers are often the first lifesavers in the crucial early hours of a disaster. He said “early warning, basic first aid, and organised shelter management can significantly reduce casualties and distress,” the Caritas India website reported.

Marking Youth Day, organisers honoured javelin throw gold medallist Albin Saji with a Young Achiever Award. Sharing his journey, he spoke about “discipline, resilience, and staying focused through setbacks,” encouraging peers to bring the same spirit to community service.

Caritas India state programme officer Abeesh Antony led an orientation session, linking the task force to the four resilience pillars of Safe Within: governance, psychosocial care, livelihoods and networking. He said effective volunteers need “alertness, emotional balance, teamwork, empathy, and a willingness to act without hesitation for neighbours in distress.”

As the programme closed, newly oriented volunteers reaffirmed their commitment to help ensure disaster-prone villages in Wayanad and Kozhikode become “safer, more resilient, and mentally stronger with each passing year,” according to the Caritas India website.