A scale up initiative for Eduquest in the area of health for adolescent girls, residing in juggi clusters/ underdeveloped areas , within the age group of 11 years to 18 years .
Justification for the project and framework conditions and Adolescent health challenges in India
Today, every fifth person in India is an adolescent (10 – 19), and every third is a young person – represents a huge opportunity that can transform the social and economic fortune of the country. However, a considerable number of these young people, especially girls, face challenges to their healthy development due to a variety factors, including structural poverty, social discrimination, negative social norms, inadequate education and early marriage and childbearing, especially in the marginalized and under – served sections of the population. The priority need of adolescent of India today span a range of health issues, including substance abuse, , poor dietary habits, communicable and non – communicable diseases, lack knowledge on Sexual Reproductive health and violence, all contributing to increased morbidity and mortality not only during adolescent but also later in their lives.
Sexually active adolescents also vulnerable to STIs, including HIV/AIDS. Knowledge is important to preventing STI ,HIV infection and unwanted pregnancies and life threatening abortions. However, findings from youth in India study suggested that adolescents and youth have limited awareness of the majority of SRH matters. Only 15% of young men and women in 15 – 24 age group reported that they had received sexuality education in school or through NGOs although they expressed the need.
1. Thematic Area of Project
Adolescent Health for Girls
2. What is the Health for Adolescent Girls Program?
The adolescent girls are future mothers and house hold managers. This is the age on which foundation of strong motherhood is laid. Learning sexual health, pregnancy, infant and child health and basic preventive health measures , nutrition and sanitation help prepare girls to raise healthy families and contribute to decreased maternal and infant mortality within communities .
3. Over all Goals and Objectives of the initiative on adolescent girls:-
- To develop confidence in the adolescent girls to take responsibilities on their own. This could be achieved by creating awareness among themselves and establish personal identity so as to make them self reliant to a greater degree.
- To develop skills in the adolescent girls so that they improve their economic status. Skill development can play a major role for their economic growth which may further result in gender equality.
- Girls postpone marriage and child birth till they have attained the age of 18.
- Girls are able to identify their social and environmental health issues and take appropriate action to resolve these issues on their own.
- Girls are able to identify their physical and mental health issues and find out ways and means for the solutions of these issues.
- Girls receive minimum higher secondary education.
- Girls do not give or receive dowry for themselves or for their children.
- To increase awareness among adolescent girls to look after their hygiene issues.
4. Key Engagements
Adolescent Girls Engagement (Aged 11yrs-18 yrs)
It has seen that utilizing the Adolescent Girls themselves as active agent of change in their own communities take the program to the success. Adolescent girls are the active recipients benefiting from the project, but the programme itself depends on them to deliver the outreach activities. This helps ensure the project remains relevant to the need and interest of Adolescent girls, is able to make use of the insider knowledge and creativity of the young girls, and helps build the status of positive contributing members of their communities.
5. How to achieve these Objectives
- Setting up communication with the community.
- Preparing the list of adolescent girls in the community
- Making individual (person to person) contacts with the enlisted adolescent girls.
- Mobilizing the community and the adolescent girls.
- Planning the program / activity for adolescent girls.
- Organizing the program/ event involving the community at large as and the adolescent girls in particular.
6. What are the anticipated outcomes of the project as identified in the adolescent girls
- Girls are increasingly aware for their rights
- Girls have the opportunity to develop solidarity with one another through peer groups and collective action
- Increased access of married and unmarried girls to health , education, economic and legal support
- Child and early marriage are prevented
7. What have been the challenges in implementing the project and how were they out come
- Most the adolescent girls which are illiterate or working with mothers as labour or house maid not available in time
- Sustaining and scaling the intervention has also been challenging but identifying girls with strong leadership skill they remain in contact.
8. What are the factors are important in the success of program
- Timings of program as in community- appropriate time 2.00 PM – 4.30 PM/ week
- Experienced faculty
- Availability of space and equipments and material
- Punctuality
- Parent support
- Community support
- To adopt integrated holistic approach in order to have a transformative impact on the lives of adolescent girls
9. Initiative / Program Implementation
At the initial stage four locations will be selected as per the discussion of SIG department where the imitative will be introduced. If the program is successful then this initiative can be extended to other areas as well. First of all the healthy coordinators will be selected to coordinate the activities between the community and Mobile dispensaries. These health coordinators will be selected from within the target areas as to facilitate the communication between the community and Eduquest. The doctors attached with the respective mobile dispensaries will make an effort to identify the prospective health coordinators in respective areas. The doctors may take the help of ABHAS’s working in those particular areas to identify suitable ladies who can perform the job of health coordinators. These ladies should preferably be of the age group of 20-30 years who are active and have sufficient IQ to understand the nature of job and implement the duties required for the job. After the identification interviews will be conducted for suitable candidates for appointments as Health Coordinators. The committee has been formed consisting of the following members to select the candidates and to supervise the implementation of the imitative / program .
10. Activities included in the program are:
- Medical check-up , Diagnosis and treatment
- Counselling
- Parenting
- Dispelling of any misconception
- Educating them on about the merits of healthy life style
- Exercise and participation in sports in school and college
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Hello period- Menstrual Hygiene management
- Awareness on Menstrual Hygiene
- Hemoglobin Check-up
- Child Sexual abuse
- Awareness on Hygiene i.e Bathing, Hair wash. Head lice, Hand washing, Dental Hygiene, Foot care, Face wash etc.
- For prevention of teenager pregnancies and child birth, education on family planning and excess of information and use of contraceptives.
- Awareness through monoacting , Nukkad natak, Films etc
- Creating healthy environment where they can channelize their energy . For example by encourage them to participate in creative and vocational trainings teaching them life skill will improve their health and give them self confidence.
Implementation of Program in Community
If the program shall be integrated with mobile dispensaries than only one Health Coordinator will be required from the one community. She will remain in touch with adolescents girls, their parents and program. She shall be given an honorarium of Rs 2500/ month. Approx