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- December  2016

Last three months is an important period for us, for Tamilnadu and in fact for the whole of India.  On 8^th November 2016, Our Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi announced government of India’s policy on demonetization, ceasing the usage of all Rs.500 and Rs.1000 as legal tender in India from 9^th November 2016.  The government claimed demonetization was an effort to stop counterfeiting the current banknotes allegedly used for funding terrorism, as well as a crackdown on black money and to reduce corruption.  Nearly 86% of currency used was withdrawn.  On 5^th December Tamilnadu’s Chief Minister  Ms.J.Jayalalitha, fondly known as Amma died, made Tamilnadu come standstill for few days.  On 12^th December Cyclone Vardha made landfall in Chennai with winds as fast as 140 kilometers, rendered thousands homeless and more than 15,000 trees were lost. For more than a week  no electricity, no telephone, no internet connections.  After Chennai floods of December  2015 people are attempting to erase the dark memories of December deluge of last year and have started fresh but after cyclone vardha families are back to square one amid black future.  People have lost their homes, jobs, all these will affect the girl children.  In economic hardships it is usually the expenses on girls will be reduced or stopped.  They may be taken out of schools, no money will be spent on their need, sometimes they may be asked to go for work. Last year after the floods our struggle was to help and motivate families to keep sending girl children to schools.  We succeed in that no girl children dropped out of schools in our working area, of course their academic achievement were reduced to low creating difficulties for them to get college admissions or scholarships.

During this period we continued our lifeskill and sexuality education activities and more importance was given of recreational activities like dance, songs, plays and games.  Nearly 600 girls from our working area of 85 slums benefitted from these activities. Even in this period of demonetization period we could able to give motivational scholarship support of Rs.1000 to 250 girls; In fact mobilized donations from the local people and friends.  Since we have been expecting the flood like situation like last year we have started distributing this scholarships during the first week of November so not much affected by the demonetization.  The 3 learning centres in Velacherry, Ezhilnagar and Sholinganallur continued providing computer skill training and organizing lifeskill and sexuality education workshops and nearly 180 girls benefitted from these workshops.  Ezhilnagar and Sholinganallur centres were affected by the Cyclone Vardha and stopped functioning, it may take few months to run it again.  During December in collaboration with MagicBus organization we have also initiated Employability skill programme for young people above 18 years, 21 girls and 4 boys are attending this programme. They will be given 3 months training and we will find placements for them.

As usual ‘Snehidhi’ adolescent girls association members were involved in the 16 days campaigns to eliminate violence against women.  The campaign started on 25^th November 2016, International day to eliminate violence against women to 10^th December 2016, International human rights day.  A team of 25 girls were trained in folk arts like Thappattam and street plays, during the campaign they went around slums and performed plays, dance and songs to educate the public about human rights and the importance of eliminating the violence against women. Even though several days’ programmes were cancelled because of the cyclone and rains, the girls performed in28 slums and nearly 10,000 people participated as audience and involved in the discussions after the performances.

We have also conducted regular parents meeting actually mothers meetings, to motivate them to support the girl children’s education. Even in this difficult situation many women pledged to send their girl children up to 12^th standard.  We have also organized teachers meetings in our working area to discuss the ways of helping girl children during the coming board examinations.  Actually during the December itself they had half yearly examinations, even in this worst situation girl children helping their mothers and also studying gave us lot of hope to carry on work to educate and empower girl children.