Strengthening Adolescent Girls' Knowledge, Women's Rights, Health and Income has been a platform for young girls to come forward in society and utilize their talents. The adolescent girls have become aware of various societal issues and their individual rights that enable them to understand equal treatment, and encourage them to stand up against injustice actions. It gives adolescent girls' an opportunity to develop skills through various vocational trainings and to generate income. The young girls are motivated to share the information with their families as well as other members of society.
1250 Adolescent girls are empowered through various programs under our SAKHI project in the region of Meerut. The confidence level of adolescent girls has increased and they are able to speak and expressed themselves in front of other people. The awareness programmes have become a pushing factor for young girls to pursue their education. Many of them are going for higher education B.A, M.A and professional courses such as B. Ed, Nursing, and as per their interests.
AWARENESS: It has been an immense pleasure to witness the development in knowledge among the young girls/boys as well as the community elders. One of the main keys to empowerment is raising awareness among the individual and a group. The outer world is a reflection of the inner world, which is the need of each one. By creating awareness among young girls; MSS aims to bring education and respond to the current
the scenario of society.
GENDER SENSITIZATION: One of the important objectives of MSS is to impart knowledge and information among adolescent girls on health and hygiene practices and needs. As per the assessment conducted in the target areas; adolescent girls have gained knowledge on health and other related issues. The selected Healthy Sakhis are conducting responsible works in collaboration with ASHA and ANM in their respective areas such as health check up, disseminating of information on such activities, and distribution of tablets.
The Gender Sensitization Programme has enabled the young boys to understand the gender differences in society and the ongoing reality in our day-to-day lives. It has helped the young boys to analyze the situation starting from their own family itself; which society had been practicing for generations and to which we are accustomed; that the practice seemed fair as a lifestyle where one cannot differentiate the fact at all. The young brothers have started informing their parents of the fact, and are able to convince and show them that there is no equal treatment between himself and his own sister. Many of them are able to convince their parents to send their sisters to school along with them and are motivated to help out with domestic work as well.
INCOME GENERATION: MSS executes its steps towards empowerment through various income-generating activities as well. It gives an opportunity for the girls to learn new skills, realize their talents and develop a sense of self-dependency. It has been a great support for adolescent girls, as they are able to manage their economic development in order to support themselves and their families as well.
Many of our young girls are equipped with various training skills. Some of the young girls who are unable to continue their education due to financial problems; have started their own businesses by putting up petty shops or working from home by utilizing their skills learned in the vocational training programmes.
COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION: MSS executes its steps towards empowerment through various income generating activities as well. It gives an opportunity for the girls to learn new skills, realize their talents and develop a sense of self dependency. It has been a great support for adolescent girls, as they are able to manage their economic development in order to support themselves and their families as well. Many of our young girls are equipped with various training skills. Some of the young girls who are unable to continue their education due to financial problems; have started their own businesses by putting up petty shops or working from home by utilizing their skills learned in the vocational training programmes. When we talk about sensitizing young people and bringing change in society it is important to take note of not only the specific target group but the whole community. A lone individual may change the number of people, but the group of people can add on to those numbers, thereby justifying the concept of 'TEAMWORK'.
Therefore, MSS considers mobilizing the community a very significant part of the project, through which the parents and elders in the community are supportive of girls' education and gender issues. The parents now are motivated to send their daughters for training and content with the work they are doing.
