Lifeskill,Sexuality Education for 1000 girls-India

Centre for Women’s Development and Research
Life Skill and Sexuality Education for 1000 Girls (14480)
Update- August 2014

This is an important period for us and India, parliament election results were announced and a new BJP party government was formed, after a long time a single with majority had come, people voted for change and stability. Board examination results for class 10th andn 12th were announced and all the girls who are members of ‘Snehidhi’ adolescent girls association appeared for the examination passed. Pavithra from Othiryur village scored 1053 for 1200, second highest marks in her school. During Tsunami rehabilitation work between 2005 and 2008 we were running 14 non-formal education centres for drop our children we have closed all these centres because all the children particularly girl children are going to school, we are very happy about that. Ms.Neeharika Tummala, a representative from GlobalGiving visited the villages where we work on 4th July 2014 and interacted with adolescent girls and women.. It was encouraging for us.
Computer skill Training for girls:
We have been providing computer skill training for adolescent girls. During this period 90 girls learned basic computer skills. 10 girls were also enrolled in the online retail management course of Brisccaar,, Canada. Mr.V.Shankar founder of Brisccaar visited the computer skill training centre during this priod and interacted with the students. Using DVD we have started providing supplementary education support for 10th to 12th standard students. 35 girls benefitted from this programme.
Lifeskill, sexuality education training for adolescents: We have organized weekend workshops on life skill and sexuality education training for adolescent girls and boys. 82 girls 24 boys attended these trainings. With the increasing number of rapes in India and media coverage plus the increase in teenage pregnancy makes parents worried and now they are supporting the sexuality education programme. This is really encouraging for us. Since it is holidays for the adolescents we have organized 10 days community development programmes and 10 days street plays and folk arts programme. 48 girls benefitted from this programme. We have also organized one day meeting on career guidance for 10th and 12 standard students to help them choose their future courses or employment. 68 girls and 40 boys participated in this meeting.

Ms.R.Pavithra is a member of ‘Snehidhi’ adolescent girls association. She had completed her higher secondary course with high marks she scored 1053 out of 1200, she is the school second in higher secondary marks. In their family there are 4 girls, Pavaithra is the 3rd daughter. Her 2 elder sisters are married, her younger sister is studying in 11th standard. Her father is a agricultural worker. Her mother is sick so not going for work. Pavithra along with her mother created a kitchen garden. Actually their parents want to marry off Pavithra, but she refused saying she wants to study further. Now she is joined in B.Tech agricultural engineering course at Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Trichy. This is the only Engineering college offering agricultural engineering course, rarely women go for this course. Pavithra may be because of her involvement in Snehidhi and creating kitchen garden opt for agricultural engineering course. Pavithra’s parents were opposing her decision because the college is 200 kilometers away from her village. But Pavithra with our staffs help could able to convince her parents. She said ‘It is my dream to help my village with my education, I thought I will also end up as a computer engineer, the exposure to bio-farming and kitchen garden helped me to choose agricultural engineering’.