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- March 2017

Last 3 months is an important busy period for us, not only because of the Vardha cyclone rehabilitation activities but it is board examination period for the adolescent girls and most of them were affected.  But the positive thing all these increased participation of adolescent girls in the rehabilitation, development and supplementary education support activities, in short it increased their confidence and leadership role.  The situation is similar to  the Chennai mega floods 2015, during that year (2016) most of the girls passed their board examinations but they scored very less marks, this year 2017 we do not want to repeat the same situation so we become little more conscious about this.   We have discussed with the school’s teachers and they agreed to conduct additional supplementary classes particularly in mathematics, science and English, we have paid a small honorarium for these teachers.  Since these classed are conducted in schools and girls got enough time to prepare for examinations.  We are waiting for the results.  Nearly 500 girls from 10 and 12^th standard benefitted from this activity.

Life skill and sexuality education:  We have organized regular weekend classes for girls but girls studying in 10^th and 12^th standard did not attend these classes because they were preparing for the board examinations.  During January Ms.Karin Suskin, an active member of Dining for Women USA she conducted workshop on reusable sanitary napkins and distributed 50 kits of reusable sanitary napkins to adolescent girls.  This year we have also started using ‘GOAL’ a lifeskill training manual.  These manuals are distributed among the Snehihdi leaders of local level.  A volunteer from Apollo hospital conducted training on Reproductive health for our staff members, they in turn organized reproductive health classes for adolescent girls. Nearly 400 girls benefitted from this programme.  Adolescent girls also participated in the One Billion Raising to eliminate violence against women campaign.  More than 4 girls participated in the human chain and dance, drama activities organized at Elliots Beach, Chennai.  Girls were prepared the posters, placards, songs and drama it is good learning for them, more than 10000 people visited the beach learned about the importance of eliminating violence against women and girls.

In our 3 field centers in addition to computer skills for adolescent girls we have also started providing vocational skill and employability skill training for young women 18-25 years.  40 girls joined for these 3 months programmes, but 25 of them dropped out the programme, so we are reflecting on that and wish to make changes so that young women come for that and get employment after the training.

In addition to that we have been conducting regular parents meeting actually mothers meeting and discussing mostly on girl children’s education and motivating them to send the adolescent girls to university education and make them graduates. So that girls can avoid marriage before 18 years of age.  But continuous disasters for the last 2 years, lack of employment due to demonetization all these are affecting their income and it affects girl children’s education. We are looking for ways of helping girls to continue their education up to undergraduate level.

In short even though it has been a difficult period for us, it is also a great learning period for us and adolescent girls.  The increasing participation of adolescent girls that is taking responsibilities gives us  lot of hope that, soon ‘Snehidhi’ adolescent girls association can function independently without our help.