The Welfare Committee
The Welfare Committee is established as a specialized committee of the Graduate Institute Student Association to promote the welfare, mental health and health of the students of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Follow the Welfare Committee's Instagram page for latest updates on weekly scheduled and special events for Autumn 2022. Read the committee's statutes here.

Board
President of the Welfare Committee
Carmen Mané
Vice-President of the Welfare Committee
Melissa Keles
Administrative Coordinator
Vrishalee Jadhav
Events Coordinator
Erika Shinabargar, Nana Danso, Anjali Sabnis & Han Gong
Partnerships Coordinators
Zhiye Yang & Sangeeta Godbole
Social Media Coordinators
Sandra Muthoni
Communication Coordinators
Megha Kaveri
Treasurer
Areen De
Advocacy Coordinators
Vacancy
Our mission
-The Committee is tasked with representing and advocating student interests to Institute administration as it relates to health, mental health, student welfare, and other related issues. This includes, but is not limited to, advocating for adequate funding and staffing to best meet the overall welfare needs of students.
-The Committee serves as a specialized committee of GISA. As such it is expected to make regular reports regarding student opinion and current welfare concerns of students. The Committee should seek out and survey student opinion in an inclusive and comprehensive way such that all student viewpoints and needs may be taken into account and represented to Institute Administration in an accurate and complete manner.
-The Committee will plan and execute, in consultation with the Institute or independently, innovative programming to support student welfare. The Committee will serve as the main conduit of coordination between students, GISA, the student support and various organs related to student health and welfare in the institute.
Current
projects
Zumba classes
with Laura Silva Aya on Wednesdays from 7:00-8:00 pm at Grand Morillon
Yoga sessions
with Grusha Victor & Lily Taylor on Saturdays from 10:00-11:00 am at Grand Morillon
Sanitary Program
-Organize the menstrual cup workshop with Dr. Tanaya Narendra, organized in collaboration with GISA, SIA, EC, Feminist Collective, Global Health Initiative
-Distribute free menstrual cups at the various Student Residences in association with Paint It Red
Disability Task force
Works on providing psychosocial and accessibility support for students with disabilities and accommodations. We aim to cover three main fronts:
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Chronic conditions: We want to aid students in getting equipped for chronic conditions and guide them on how to seek medical support, especially after moving into a new place.
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Support for day-to-day tasks: We acknowledge that people with disabilities might need mobility support, and accessibility can be hard. We want to promote the use of disability-friendly information on the website. Also, accompany students in how to get this support in the process. For instance, if a person comes along with a caregiver, how to provide them with information and a safe environment?
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Disability support in Geneva: To provide an access guide for students on which disability support is available.
IHEID Disability Support Service: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/students/wellbeing-and-support/disability-support-service
Contact
We're here to support you and always excited for students to get involved!