BELO: A Movement that Defies Darkness. Add your Light!
The reality is brutal: 970 million souls in the world suffer in silence. Every year, 800,000 young lives – our children, siblings, friends – are lost to suicide. Mental health is by far the greatest health challenge of our time, surpassing cancer and cardiovascular problems, and yet 35-50% of those affected walk without the treatment they deserve.
While the global economy trembles at the exponential cost of anxiety and depression (projected to increase sixfold by 2030), our governments invest less than 2% of their health budgets.
What is fueling this crisis? It is a perfect storm of insecurity, lack of resources, and, most painfully, THE DESTRUCTIVE STIGMA that forces us to hide our suffering, denying us vital help.
Stigma is not just a word; it is a condemnation. It is the cruel voice that whispers:
- In the face of an eating disorder, “What a shallow, frivolous person!”
- In the face of depression: “Stop complaining, cheer up! You just don’t do your part…”
- In the face of suicide: a family wracked with guilt, wondering, “Why didn’t I see it? I should have done more.”
BELO, Shining in the Dark, is not just a project; it is a manifesto, an alliance of hearts led by the Europamundo Foundation in collaboration with Rotary International – through the Rotary Corporate Madrid club, along with a growing network of Rotary clubs in Spain and LATAM – and other respected institutions and companies in several countries.
Our first weapon is the most powerful: artistic expression. We have created a transformative contest for patients, families, and mental health professionals to turn their pain and hope into stories and other literary creations, drawings, paintings, and music.
