Lifeskill,Sexuality Education for 1000 girls-India

Centre for Women’s Development and Research
Life Skill and Sexuality Education for 1000 girls-India (14480)
Update- March2019

January to March is usually important period for school going girls particularly those studying 10^th and 12^th standards they have to attend their board examinations and the results would set their future education and career. If they fail the danger is parents will start thinking about girls marriage.  So we usually help these girls pass these examinations, by organizing supplementary education tuition classes, time management workshops, career guidance.

Supplementary tuition classes are organized in the schools itself, after the school hours, their school teachers provided additional coaching’s 1 or 2 hours in English, Science and Mathematics for our children and those who are interested in attending these classes.  We provided a small honorarium for school teachers for these extra work.  390 girls benefitted from these programmes.  Teachers have been suggesting to provide some supplementary nutrition like last year for these girls but due to financial constraints we could nor provide this, now we are looking for ways of raising resources for this so that next year we can provide some nutritional snacks for the girls.  We have been also continuing our life skill and sexuality education classes in the slums, villages and in schools. More than 500 young girls and boys benefitted from this programme. This programme in a way helps us to reach out to boys. We have also uploaded an app for sexual reproductive health the app ‘Snehidhi’ is available in google play store.

In our 2 recreational learning centres we are providing computer skill, spoken English classes, 78 girls benefitted from these programmes.  We have trained girls to use youtube to learn particularly their academic lessons.  State Council for  Educational Research and Training  Tamilnadu, is producing Tamil videos based on state education syllabus.  We found it is a very useful and encouraging girls to use it for their exam preparation.  

We were also conducting regular women’s meeting that is the mother meeting, mostly discussing about the importance of girl children’s education and how they can help.  We are really happy most of the mothers the domestic workers and single women want to educate their girl children and make sure they do not follow their steps in work.  During December with the local money raised we provided Rs.1000 motivational scholarships to 75 girls particularly in 10^th and 12^th standard classes.  So that they will not discontinue their studies, we have also informed them we will support the girls who wish to continue their education up to undergraduate level, that is up to 21 years of age.  We are in the process of mobilising resources for this.

The major event organized is on 26^th January the republic day of India we have organised a rally and human chain at Besant nagar Beach, Chennai.  Nearly 500 girls participated in this event,  The girls were mobilized by our partner NGOs from Chennai city and our Snehidhi members.  They also distributed pamphlets on Sexual Reproductive Health education and Rights of adolescent girls to the public.  Republic day being a holiday hundreds of people watched and participated in the campaign.  We were also collecting signatures from girls and public to submit a memorandum to the government and political party leaders  demanding to make sexual reproductive health as part of school curriculum, particularly about puberty and menstruations health.   Also demanding clean toilets with water and systems to dispose sanitary pads.  We will be using this as part of our advocacy work during the coming parliament elections, we are in the process of preparing for it.

In the coming months the parliament elections are coming, the board examinations results will also come so we will be involving in advocacy activities and also helping girls with career guidance, getting college admissions, providing counselling services.