Badlaav
Puberty is a crucial period in an adolescent’s life that is strewn with numerous challenges and unique experiences. A teenager during this period requires adequate and proper guidance so that they can efficiently make sense of the new experiences and changes that they are going through. WOMEN for INDIA has identified two core issues that adolescents, especially young girls are often adversely affected by. Few of them are menstruation, lack of knowledge about sexuality and sexual health, and sexual abuse.
PROJECT METHODOLOGY-
- Pre-Evaluation: Understand the existing knowledge and attitudes, among all stakeholders (be it students and teachers in the schools or girls in slums), an assessment will be carried out.
- Orientation and Sensitization Workshops: Workshops will be conducted in (in school or slums) in order to create awareness and sensitization on the topics of Menstruation, Sexual Health, and Sexual Abuse.
- Parivartan Workshops: The workshops on subject matters of Menstruation and Sexual health will be conducted by our doctors or mentor female teachers.
- Formation of Peer Groups: There is a state initiative called ‘Balika Manch” which is a group of students who talk on various issues of girls and their education. The Balika Manch will be supported by female Mentor teachers in schools. These will ensure that correct knowledge on the topics travels to the students of junior classes i.e. classes 6th and 7th.
- Distribution of Sanitary Pads + PCOD Data: Sanitary napkin kits would be distributed to each girl with proper hygiene and information kit. A survey for early detection of PCOD would be conducted. This data would be provided to the government.
PROJECT IMPACT AND OUTCOMES-
1. Sensitizing school teachers and school staff of 7 schools through orientation workshops in order to initiate dialogue and conversations around the otherwise tabooed and stigmatized topics of menstruation and sexual health in the schools.
2.Training mentor teachers on the subject matters of Menstruation, Sexual Health and Sexual Abuse in an intensive 4-day training program so that they may implement the said program in their respective schools through workshops and in the future.
3. Creating ICE material for effective implementation of the program.
4. Involving parents in the dialogue through their participation in the activities
5. Students from classes educated and equipped with essential knowledge on Menstruation, changes that take place in their bodies and minds during adolescence, on sexual health and Sexual Abuse.
6. Awareness among students for the importance of talking about the topics of Menstruation and Sexual Abuse with their children through Period Fest.