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- June 2019

March to June has become much more important this year because of the Parliament elections, otherwise also this a busy period because the board examination results will be out and we have help girls to get college admissions or find some vocational skill training programme.  This also summer holiday time so the girls are free and its ideal time for us to organize workshops so that more girls will participate in the workshops full time.

Since elections come only once in 5 years we do not want to miss this opportunity to push our agenda of girl children’s rights to politicians, requesting them to include girl children’s right in their election manifesto.  This is an ideal time because top leading politicians meet the people in their living areas, they also listen to what people are saying.  Most of the ‘Snehidhi’ adolescent girls association members those reached 18 years of age were also voting for the first time.  So we have organized some orientation programme on Indian democracy and voting.  Two girls participated in the workshop to prepare children’s agenda to present it to the various party leaders, they also participated in the press meets mostly pressing for girl children’s education, SRHR-Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of adolescent girls. In Kannagi nagar slum girls met the DMK party leader Mr.M.K.Stalin and Mrs. Thamizhachi Thangapandian (She won the MP election) and submitted a memorandum to include girl children’s rights in their party ‘s election manifesto.  All these activities were a different experience for the girls and learned many things from it.

130 girls of 10^th standard High school  and 92 girls of 12^th standard higher secondary class successfully passed their board examinations.  So are in the process of helping these girls continue their education, helping them to get admission in the colleges.  If they continue their education up to 21 years of age that would help them to escape from child marriage.  We are in the process of mobilising resources for this But as usual most of the higher secondary class girls scored less than 400 marks out of 600, so it is difficult for them to get college admissions or have to pay higher college fees in private institutions. Particularly most of the girls want to join B.Com course, in a city women’s college the cut off mark for B.Com admission is 98%. Still we appreciated these girls for passing the examinations  from their poor difficult situations, like this year summer is so hot, no rains, there is water scarcity and women and girls have to walk distances or wait in ques to collect water .  In India education is the only way poor people can change their lives. We are developing strategies to make sure in the next academic year girls score 80% and above  in the board examinations.

We have been continuing our computer skill trainings, lifeskill, sexuality education in our learning centres, nearly 240 girls benefitted from this. In addition to that we have organized street play and folk arts workshops, 28 girls attended these progrmmes.

On 28^th May, International Menstrual Hygiene Management day we have organized a advocacy campaign programme a Besant Nagar beach 350 girls participated in this advocacy programme.  A human chain and signature campaign was organized.  Girls also performed street plays and cultural programmes to educate public about the importance of Menstrual Hygiene Management.  Girls made a memorandum demanding the government to provide clean functional toilets and sanitary pad disposal systems in schools, they also collected signature from girls and public supporting this memorandum, this will be send to the concerned departments.

We are really happy about our achievements like girls attending colleges that means they will not go for domestic work or construction work like their mothers, these girls also confident, assert their rights.