A two-day nature-themed divorce healing camp in Kerala brings together divorced, separated, widowed, and suffering women for community and recovery. The camps use hiking, dancing, music and games to break the ice and promote healing through shared experiences. Retreats accommodate around 15–20 women, run several weekends a month, and cost upwards of 1,700 rupees, with some free spots available for those who cannot pay. The initiative aims to normalise divorce, challenge societal romanticisation of silent suffering, and offer emotional support and dignity to women rebuilding independent lives.
On the bus making its way through Kerala to the misty hills of Vagamon, a group of 15 women, many wearing hijabs and dupattas, with colourful shirts pulled over jeans, hum a melodious tune, clapping and swaying in rhythm. Once off the bus, the women start their hike through the lush tea plantations. Reaching a peak, they stop to face out over the vast valley, link hands and sing a hopeful song about newfound freedom.
This is India's first divorce camp, founded by 31-year-old Rafia Afi for women who are divorced, separated, widowed or suffering in their relationships to come together at a healing retreat. The idea is to normalise divorce and give it dignity, she says. Divorce can be beautiful too, when two people decide they do not want to be together, Afi says. I want to remind people it doesn't have to mean the end of your whole life.
It was disturbing to realise that not everyone had a support system like I had with my family and friends; most of them faced judgment and couldn't speak up, she says. It sparked the idea of Break Free Stories, divorce healing camps designed to build a community of women who could connect with others going through similar experiences. Afi has been documenting the camps in Kerala, from the backwaters of Alappuzha to the fishing port of Kozhikode (also known as Calicut), on social media.
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