Give GIRLS in India a CHANCE at life

Dear Donor,

Hope you and your loved ones are safe and Healthy!! Wish you a very Happy New Year and hope this year is much better than the one gone by.

Mentioning below some of the highlights from last 3 months, hope you like them. Incase of any queries please do write back to us.

Haryana’s Sonipat district launched helpline for girls at risk of school dropout

In month of September 2020, we had organised a webinar ‘Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in Education’ in collaboration with the education department in Sonipat. The aim was to generate the larger dialogue on the adolescent issues such as well-being, dropout of adolescent girls.  Through this webinar, we also advocated for Helpline for adolescents to deal the similar issues and provide need-based counselling with district administration. On 6^th October, district administration launched a toll-free helpline for the adolescents in collaboration with Breakthrough and Samarthya and with the support of Haryana state child welfare council, Sonipat. Helpline- Bachhon Ke Saathi (18001801035) will help children in education and well-being related issues and provide help and counselling required. Bal Bhawan has provided space to run the helpline and 5 Saksham Youth (youth with different academic background, engaged part-time in different government schemes by employment department for honorarium-based work) youth are trained to work for this helpline. This helpline will be operational Monday to Friday 10 am to 5 pm. Covid19 has changed our lives, everyone is affected, specially the adolescent girls. Breakthrough and education department together will take this helpline and its work to the adolescents in need.

International Day of Girl Child Celebration by Team Change Leaders

In Jhajjar districts-Kasni village, Breakthrough team change leaders observed the International Day of Girl Child and discussed its importance with adolescents’ girls, their parents and larger community. They presented a demand letter to the Sarpanch for a library for both boys and Girls in the village and the Sarpanch has agreed to this demand. Influencers and Elderly peoples from the village along with promise to build a library, also agreed for regular maintenance of this space to support education and their future aspiration. They were happy to collaborate in this idea, as Breakthrough is working towards a gender equitable society, 25 key persons from village were part of this discussion. In another village -Majri (Jhajjar)- Breakthrough’s team change leaders observed the day to discuss about the theme of this year "My voice, our equal future" with community members and parents Taaron Ki Toli students recited many poems, sang songs, danced. All these became their voice about rights, and they demanded equal future of all boys and girls.

Also the day was observed in an interesting day in another village Talaav(Jhajjar), where team changeleaders invited women, girls and men and boys to participate in games. These are the kind of games specially to break the gender stereotypes and gender-segregation.

In another district Karnal’s village Alipur Khalsa TkT stars invited their parents and Breakthrough team to celebrate this day. Our partner theatre activist also joined and engaged all in collective sings of songs that talks about discrimination and aspiration of women girls. Adolescent shared their experience in the event how they face taboo to join classes in Choupals. Adolescent girls and boys shared many experiences of being discriminated based on their gender, they need to break     these barriers.

Approximately 300 people attended the discussion included adolescent boys, girls and mothers of TkT stars and key person from the community.

Kishor- Kishori Health Mela

Breakthrough in Haryana in collaboration with administration (with department of health and department of women and child development) to fight against Covid19 pandemic, launched 39 days long campaign Kishor-Kishori-Health Mela which is started from Jhajjar and was be taken to Gurugram, Sonipat, Panipat and Karnal. In these 6 districts these mela’s will be covering 469 spots in 122 gram panchayats expecting to reach more than 20 thousand peoples to generate awareness among adolescents and community members on hygiene, nutrition and health and Covid19 precautionary to defeat Corona virus. Till 30^th November, 167+ spots were covered and 9166+ people were reached through Kishor Kishori Health Mela. Mela also focussed on non-discriminatory access and opportunities to health services and non-discriminatory nutrition for the adolescents’ and non-judgemental access to health services to growing adolescents. We are collecting information from adolescents about their knowledge and perception about menstrual health and adolescents’ health through a questionnaire.

This all work is happening because of support of DONORS like you. In our fight against GENDER BASED DISCRIMINATION, we need your support more than EVER!!

With Hope and Gratitude,

Aman Chhabra.