Flora Tissues and Sri Lanka Sumithrayo opened “The Wall of Unspoken Words” on World Mental Health Day, giving Sri Lanka a place to speak

Flora Tissues and Sri Lanka Sumithrayo opened “The Wall of Unspoken Words” at Colombo City Centre on World Mental Health Day, a day led by the World Federation for Mental Health with support from the World Health Organization. Inside the activation space, visitors were invited to write down on a paper serviette something they had meant to say but never got the chance to, then pin it to a public wall.

The wall was built around this year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.” Each note stood for a voice usually kept quiet. Visitors who wished to share their own were encouraged to post through #WallOfUnspokenWords. Visitors also received green ribbon pins, the symbol of mental health awareness.

Tissues are part of life’s most private and difficult moments, from a child’s tears to a family’s grief. Flora Tissues has spent over four decades being the brand people reach for at those moments. That closeness is why the brand chose to speak on mental health. A product that is always within reach can also be a reminder that people need comfort, and that comfort often begins with saying something out loud.

Sheshaya Surtani, Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, Pee Bee Management Services (Pvt) Ltd, said “Generations of Sri Lankan families have trusted Flora Tissues, and that trust carries a responsibility beyond the product. Many people are struggling quietly, often with no one to tell. We wanted to give them a place to start, and today we saw how many people were ready to take that step.”

Mental health remains one of the least discussed issues in the country. A nationally representative study of 6,627 people, carried out between 2018 and 2019 and published in 2025, found overall depression rates lower than those recorded in the 2007 national mental health survey, although vulnerable groups were affected disproportionately. The picture among young people is more concerning. The 2024 Global School-Based Student Health Survey found that more than one in five students aged 13 to 17 reported loneliness, and almost 18 percent had experienced persistent depression. Many people, particularly men, keep these struggles private. Sumithrayo estimates that eight to 10 people still die by suicide each day.

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo was founded in 1974 by the late Joan De Mel after a doctor at the General Hospital saw four attempted suicides in one day. It is a government-approved charity and an affiliate of Befrienders Worldwide, and it provides confidential emotional support to people experiencing distress, despair or suicidal thoughts. Its volunteers do not offer clinical counselling. They offer befriending: active listening, empathy and no judgement. The service is free and available in Sinhala, Tamil and English, 365 days a year from 9am. Callers can reach Sumithrayo on 0707 308308 daily from 9am to 4pm.

Suranjani Wickremaratne, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Sumithrayo, said “Our volunteers hear unspoken words every day, often from people who have never said them to anyone else. We are grateful to Flora Tissues for giving those words a public place to land. To anyone who wrote a note today, our message is simple: you were heard, and you will not be judged.”

If something is weighing on you, you do not have to carry it alone. Sumithrayo’s volunteers are there to listen, every day, on the numbers above.