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This is the story of Meena. She lives with her parents in the city. She's very artistic. She wanted to make cartoons for a living. Her parents are supportive of her decisions and the future looks really bright. All seems good and days of her life pass away as she almost heads to the end of her teenage years.

Meena turns 18 and she's already thinking what she'll do once she gets through her final year at college. One day, her father passes away when he meets with an accident. Her mother isn't able to support her financially and relatives suggest that Meena is of age to be married. Under all the pressure, her mother gives in.

Her husband doesn't earn much and spends what little he does on alcohol. She is abused by her husband since they couldn't pay off a dowry. She is forced to bear children at the age of 19, because that is what women are expected to do.

The soil in which we are rooted.
The branches on which we grow.

Adverse Community Environments are the environments that do not provide ample opportunities to achieve optimal health, mental well being, safety and equity.

Here's another story. This one's about Gowri, a 30 year old woman who is suffering with acute respiratory distress and alcohol addiction. She's starts going through rehabilitation. She rebounds and ends up in the hospital again. Her doctor tells her she doesn't have long and tears start trickling down her cheeks.

Gowri starts talking about her past. She starts talking about how she was ill-treated as a child. Her mom beat her up every single day and she grew up feeling unwanted by everyone around her. To cope, she started consuming alcohol. She had respiratory problems since she was a child but was never taken to a doctor.

Institutionalization got her away from her parents, but it was no paradise. As Gowri went on and on, the doctor only listened patiently. He asked her more about her parents, which is when Gowri said, "My mother's name was Meena."

Children who go through early childhood trauma
Do not just "Get over it."

Adverse Childhood Experiences are traumatic events that include all types of abuse and neglect occurring before the age of 18.

Here's a few more stories to ponder on.

Over their lives, people of different ages and from different backgrounds, experience Adverse Childhood Experiences and are exposed to Adverse Community Environments. These pair of ACEs truly devastate a person's life. And as we've seen in the above stories, this is not limited to a single individual and can span across generations. However, ACEs aren't the end of the world. What people do need when they're going through a rough patch is solace (comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness). This need not come from a single person but can also be part of the culture and community that one is exposed to at different stages in their life.

As a group, we've researched a lot about ACEs. One thing we've learnt is that for any individual to overcome their ACEs, they need a strong support system. We have started an initiative, where a group of people come to explore more and support each other. To know more about this go to the Self Support Group page on our website.