Every 4th girl is a child bride. Help change this

Dear Donor,

Wishing you a Very Happy Festive season!! Thanks for your support for our work. Sharing some of the key highlights of our work between July 24 and Oct 24.

Here is a story that highlights how awareness, sensitization and capacity building of girls and their families is enabling girls to stall their marriage and pursue their dreams and aspirations.

“I would have been married like my two elder sisters had life-transforming Breakthrough programme not started in my village. With Jyoti Didi’s (Breakthrough community developer) meetings and sessions and visits to my house, the views of my entire family transformed. I live in Lucknow city now and I am working in a food chain outlet at Lucknow Airport. The day my father came to drop me at the airport for my joining, he was thrilled and immensely proud. He immediately called Jyoti Didi to share this good news after dropping me”-says Kajal (name changed) who has been a Team Change Leader of Breakthrough.

Talk to Kajal’s father and he is quick to exclaim, “It all has happened because of Jyoti Didi. She has brought about the awareness and change in mindsets of most parents of the SC hamlet of Kudha Village where I live. The girls eagerly await her sessions. Her meetings and discussions are changing the mindset of parents too. Three girls of my SC hamlet are working in Lucknow city and 5 more have undertaken training. I married my two elder daughters early because we lacked awareness. But now my third daughter is working at the airport and fourth one is undergoing training of nursing. I have 7 daughters. I want my other three youngest daughters also to become self-reliant. There are people of other caste hamlets who pass negative comments on the freedom and encouragement we are giving to our daughters but I am determined now to support the girls. I tell them too to ignore such comments.”

Breakthrough starts the capacity building of adolescent girls and boys-an age when gender attitudes are taking shape and are still malleable. Breakthrough does this through its Taaron Ki Toli curriculum.

Taaron Ki Toli Sessions

Taaron Ki Toli curriculum is delivered to 11-14-year-old cohort whom we call Ujjwal Taras and also to 15-18-year-old cohort whom we call Roshan Taras.

During the reporting period, we held these sessions 24462 with adolescents (11 to 14 years’ cohort) in UP and 4979 adolescents (11 to 14 years’ cohort) in Jharkhand. We also held these sessions with 25371 adolescents (15 to 18 years’ cohort) in UP and 2042 adolescents (15 to 18 years’ cohort) in Jharkhand.

The sessions have focused on empowering them to recognise gender based discrimination and violence in their lives and speak up for their education, aspirations and rights.

Besides engaging the adolescents through Taaron Ki Toli curriculum, Breakthrough trains select youth of 19 to 25 years’ age group through specially designed training programmes. These youth who are trained are called Team Change Leaders.

Training of Team Change Leaders(TCLs) -A safe space for discussion, debate and building sensitivity

“I felt very shy when presenting a skit in which I had to showcase a Homosexual relationship between two girls, I never imagined that I would ever be doing such a skit but it was a very exceptional experience that has built my capacity to empathize with people who face taboo and marginalisations because of the social norms;”

-Anita a TCL after performing in a skit based on same sex relationship

Breakthrough organized a three-day residential TCLs training with 57 Team Change Leaders in Lucknow and Gorakhpur in UP and with 28 TCLs in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand on the various themes of sexuality –enabling the participants to deep dive into the various issues related to gender, sexuality, relationship, consent, power and privilege and made the participants conversant about the various spectrums of sexuality. The training through various activities made the participant unpack sexuality as a right which is often impacted by social positioning and empathize and understand people of different sexual orientations.

In the training, the participants were given a platform to discuss healthy and unhealthy relationships and the role gender and sexuality play out in the same through an engaging presentation. The training also discussed the taboo associated with sex.

The training touched on the gendered social norms associated with marriage and the social construct of seeing marriage as the only prototype of a successful relationship. The last part of the training focused on making the participants aware of the power and privileges.

For the participants, this training has ushered in a new avenue of contemplation as they talked about the topics that they do not usually get a safe space to discuss. The participants who were initially very shy and hesitant gradually during the course of training became vocal. After training they were considerably sensitized which was reflected in their action plans focusing on sensitization of the community on Gender, SRHRJ, making community GBV and GBD free etc. It was altogether a great learning event in which the facilitators very lucidly made the participant aware and sensitized on the various topics.

Enhanced Community Ownership Evident during Mobilisation Events

Our deep transformation work is leading to enhanced community ownership. Community ownership is evident in events like Kishori Melas and special day celebrations.

Aligned with Breakthrough’s commitment to empowering youth, the celebration of youth day in communities featured panel discussions, rallies, poster making, and more. Discussions centered on the significance of Youth Day and how young people can drive change, with a focus on their education and career aspirations. In 47 Gram Panchayats across Lucknow, Mahrajganj, and Gorakhpur, 947 community members (617 females and 330 males) participated, including 145 TCLs who led the celebrations.

International Youth Day was celebrated in the intervention communities of Breakthrough Hazaribagh too. A total of 43 people (7 TCLs, 15 youth, 4 Roshan Tara , 6 adults, 2 Anganwadi Workers 1 PRI, and 8 community members) took the lead in organising the celebrations and 40 males and 42 females gathered for these celebrations. The TCLs took the lead and celebrated the day as the day of awareness, showcasing the youth's power as the agents of change. The TCLs mobilised the community on the important issues which included the easy availability of intoxicating substances in the community. They shared that tobacco and substance abuse is ruining the village youth. The TCLs of Padma block raised awareness among the different stakeholders of communities on the addiction to substances through slogans, placards, and rallies. This TCls initiative had vital resonance in the community. Besides, they also discussed the issue of gender based violence and the need to intervene in such cases.

Moreover, during Kishori melas in Lucknow and Gorakhpur, the teachers and students took lead from designing the mela to thought provoking presentations. Students and teachers led activities such as poster creation and puppet shows, fostering dialogues with parents about education and aspirations. This time the Ujjwal Taras also showcased their learnings from Taaron Ki Toli sessions which also became a medium to hold dialogues on important issues like GBD and GBV. Notably, a puppet show by Ujjwal Taras at Puruhiya School in Mohanlalganj in Lucknow inspired applause and intergenerational dialogue on supporting adolescent education. A total of 7717 participants (4445 females and 3272 males) attended Kishori Melas in 68 schools in Lucknow and Gorakhpur, highlighting the strong community engagement and ownership.

All our work happens through the financial support we received from donors like you and are immensely grateful for the same. Request you to continue your support and, if possible, refer us to like-minded people in your circle.

With Hope and Gratitude,

Aman Chhabra.