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ADOLSCENT GIRLS’ CONGRESS Making Future Leaders
Though the group is heterogeneous in terms of ethnicity and geographical regions they represent, the decision-making process of adolescent rural girls taking part in three district Consultative Meeting is participatory and democratic as they debate and discuss every matter among them before finalizing it. After implementation of Building Demand for RH Awareness among adolescent Girls (BuD) by the Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA/Nepal) with the support of USAID, this is what the young girls in three districts have learned. With the implementation of BuD, the adolescent girls, who go through drastic changes in their bodies, emotions, capabilities and ways of thinking, secure wide range of knowledge and information regarding reproductive health, health service, education and other issues. Foremost important aspect is they secure the capability of leadership to disseminate the message to community
By KESHAB POUDEL
First they identified the issues and discussed it among them. After reaching consensus on the issues, they finally approved it for implementation in the community. The adolescent girls, who have been taking part in the BuD project, analyze all aspects of the problems faced by other group members before prioritizing it for implementation.
For the different groups taking part in the Adolescent Congress held in capital on February 26-27, they follow the participatory modality with equal voices to all the members. This is the capability all the girls have acquired at the local level during the course of project implementation.
Led by Hasman Khatun, 14, a resident of Aurahi Village of Mahottari District, a group of adolescents girls found health risks associated with Reproductive Health (RH), early marriage and unwanted pregnancy, education and HIV/AIDS, major threats to women’s lives in their own community. Although this is a common problem of all the adolescent girls of Nepal, overwhelming majority of girls cannot share it among their peers.
Khatun, who hails from a conservative Muslim family, does not hesitate to talk on RH. “Since we have been facing many problems like early marriage, trafficking and gender discrimination, we have to raise it. It is not my problem alone. By listening to the voices of all, we can achieve better results in the project implementation,” said Hasman.
Another group led by parent Dhan Maya Nepali, 50, Armoal Chaur village of Baglung district seriously discussed the concerns raised by adolescents girls and agreed to support them to overcome the challenges. The two-day Congress was full of lively debates and discussions about the problems of adolescent girls.
More than 70 adolescent girls, senior officials of District Health Office, District Education Office and the parents of children spent their time discussing the problems and issues of adolescents.
Vulnerable Adolescence
Adolescents are vulnerable in all dimensions of health but are more vulnerable to reproductive health. Girls are always in high risk due to exclusionary cultural tradition based on gender, caste and ethnicity. Due to illiteracy, poverty and on going conflict, there are added risks resulting in a situation where adolescent girls are exposed to violence, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and trafficking.
The largest-ever generation of young people aged 10-19 are now making the transition from childhood to adulthood. According to human rights and reproductive health advocates who put child marriage on the international agenda, marriage during the teenage years is particularly harmful for women: autonomy is limited and sexual activities are uniformed perhaps even coercive and dangerous to women’s health.
Nepal ’s one third of girls are still married prior to age 18. In order to understand the dynamic of marriage, there is a need to collect information on social, cultural and economic factors that affect life decisions among young people.
In Mahottari (terai) and Baglung, there are two culturally distinct social systems. In both provinces, marriage age has been increasing moderately but at different paces. In terai, early adolescent marriage (under age 15) has declined perceptibly, yet two thirds of recently married women had married by the time they were age 18. Among women in Baglung, in contrast, marriage is increasingly being delayed. Education, even at the primary level, is associated with sharply increased marital age.
Although they are adolescent rural girls with very poor education background and low economic status than their urban counterparts, they are smart, transparent, interactive and informative as seen in the manner they raised issues from Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS to other health problems. The participants of the two days three District Consultative Meeting (Girls Congress) under Building Demand for Reproductive Health Among Conflict Affected Districts of Nepal (BuD for RH) Project also showed unique quality of leadership.
At the floor of Shanker Hotel, a luxurious hotel of capital Kathmandu, the rural adolescent girls demonstrated their skills, information and knowledge. Though the ages, academic background, economic status is incomparable with participants of other seminars usually held in this kind of star hotels in capital, the adolescents girls smartly raised fundamental and genuine issues prevailing in Nepal.
Implemented in 15 VDCs in three program districts covering a little more than 26 percent 2998 of the total adolescent girls (11410) in the area compromising of 1,155 out of school and 1,843 in schoolgirls, BuD is a model project aimed to generate awareness on RH and to build the future leaders for the communities.
Nepal’s Problems
Studies have shown that RH is one of the major problems faced by adolescent girls. Only through generating awareness on RH, the country can minimize high maternal mortality, infant mortality, and high prevalence of STIs, illiteracy and poverty. If adolescents are involved in the program, they will carry it for a long period of time, as they will have to play many roles in future including mother, community mobilizers and leaders.
“Implementing the BuD for RH project, CEDPA/Nepal tries to minimize the magnitude of the gap by enhancing the knowledge and skills of reproductive health and its practices among adolescent girls,” said Ms. Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of CEDPA, who was in Kathmandu to see the Congress. “These girls, who didn’t have access to political, social and health, can say now where the access are available. Once you give hope to adolescents, it will never extinct and no one can snatch it from them.”
With the support from USAID, CEDPA/ Nepal is implementing the project through three local partners - Aama Milan Kendra, Nepal Red Cross Society and Nepal Technical Assistance Group.
“They are here to discuss the RH but all these girls acquire the skills and capability for the leadership. They are leaders of future who can contribute to change in the communities,” said Ms. Linda Kentro, Development Assistance Specialist, USAID/ Nepal.
In all three districts, school drop out, social and cultural based gender discriminations are rampant and socio-cultural environment compel large number of adolescents girls to marry in early age.
“Our efforts are still small and we need to take more drastic steps to prevent early marriage,” said Samikchya Bohara, 16, a resident of Pauinipata village of Baglung Village Development Committee. “We need not hesitate to discuss about the growth of our body and complications of early marriage in our life.”
The adolescents girl aged between 10 to 19 in-school and out-school of three conflict prone districts have many common problems. Most of them are unknown to RH, complications of early marriage, girl trafficking. Worse, the higher rate of school drop out, limited access to health, lack of employment opportunity and gender discrimination are creating more problems.
Although their discussions mostly focused RH, the adolescents girls spared a lot of time to discuss education, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, gender discrimination, health problems, community awareness, early marriage, linking the programs in society and technical training.
By participating in the discussions and debates, these girls have learned the skills to improve their capability to work as catalytic workers to mobilize the community to defend the rights of adolescent girls in their neighborhood.
Like this District Consultative Meeting, these girls conducted similar programs at different level following participatory and interactive process. As the girls know that participatory process is effective where each member has time to present his/her points of view, the decision is finalized only after intense debate in the group.
Following participatory approach, these girls have been taking message of RH, education and other social problems and democratic attitudes at the bottom of society. As Nepal is in transition of change moving from traditional system to modern democracy, this kind of practices will help to develop a much-needed new culture. “In a society with low literacy, high school drops out and early marriage, the implementation of BuD has brought many changes in rural areas helping young rural girls to overcome their problems ”said Krishna Prasad Kafle, District Education Office of Mahotari District. “The rate of drop out in program implemented areas has drastically reduced.”
“Whether in the central level like this or the village level, we take the decision following intense debates and discussions. All the members are given equal opportunities to express their views, as these are the problems of all. We all are leaders and workers,” said Maheshwori B.K. 15, a Dalit girl from Hatileta VDC of Mahottari district.
“A health posts, school building can be destroyed in the conflict. But once you train a person injecting new ideas on her, it will last forever. These young girls are now asset for the community with a leadership quality,” said Yolonda C. Richardson.
Goma Khadka, 15, whose two sisters are already married and have one offspring each, has seen difficulties and complications in early marriage in her own house. After taking part in the CEDPA/Nepal’s BuD program in the last two years, Khadka is in a position to generate awareness among the local populations on implications of early marriage and importance of education and to build the confidence and self-sufficiency to the girls.
Had she was not dropped out, Ganga Bhujel, 19, a resident of Beltar village of Udayapur, 450 miles east of Nepal, would have been a student of 10 th grade by now. Thanks to the implementation of BuD project, she has now enrolled again at Seventh grade at local high school following completion of a year of informal education. “Education opens my eyes,” said Bhujel, a girl of under privileged community.
“The adolescents girls have changed the attitudes of local communities towards education, health, RH and other related issues,” said Dr. Ram Kumar Shrestha chairman of Nepal Technical Assistance Group, which has been implementing the BuD program in Mahaottari district. “ The knowledge and skills the these girls acquired through the project make them future leaders in community.”
Although she was grown up in a remote parts of Chitepani Village Development Committee of Baglung district, 250 miles west of capital, Usha Chhetri, 16, a student of class 9, has high awareness level in the issues like RH, HIV/AIDS, trafficking and unsafe sex and health problems of adolescent girls than any urban girls. “Every woman should be given right to decide about her body,” said Chhetri. After attending the program under the BuD, Chettri is now is generating awareness in her neighborhood about RH.
As Dr. Chhatra Amatya, country director CEDPA/ Nepal says: “If an individual is empowered to take decision in life regarding oneself, one’s health and education, one’s role in the society, it empowers a person not only to take care of oneself but also to seek help from others to advocate for support from parents, teachers and other people in the society.”
“Empowered Person Not Only Take Care Of Oneself But Also Advocate The Cause”
DR. CHHATRA AMATYA
DR. CHHATRA AMATYA , Country Director of CEDPA/Nepal, has experience of working for more than three decades in the Ministry of Health. Dr. Amatya has extensive field knowledge on reproductive health (RH) in Nepal. She spoke to SPOTLIGHT on various issues regarding activities launched by CEDPA. Excerpts:
How do you see the implementation of Building Demand for Reproductive Health among the adolescent girls in the conflict-affected districts?
Well, we have introduced BuD program two years ago in three conflict prone districts of three geographical regions of Nepal. We have been implementing it in Baglung, Mahottari and Udayapur districts through the local partners Aama Milan Kendra, Nepal Technical Assistance Group and Nepal Red Cross Society respectively. In recent Congress the girls have shown their interacting capability and their base of knowledge. So far the result is quite satisfactory and the girls have acquired what they were supposed to achieve.
What are the major aspects of the BuD project?
One of the major aspects of the project is to offer adolescents girl opportunities for all round personal development focusing on RH and to build leadership quality. Conducting the Three District Consultative meeting in Kathmandu, the adolescent girls have demonstrated their leadership capability. It is a long-term process particularly when you are focusing on the behavioral change as one cannot see the result of behavior change in overnight. It is quite interesting to see these adolescents girls who are openly discussing issues about their health, RH, unsafe sex, unsafe abortion, masturbation and growth of body and their requirement.
What process do you follow to implement it?
If I have to answer the process, CEDPA - which is the pioneer organization to increase educational opportunities for girls, ensure access to lifesaving reproductive health and HIV/AIDS information and services, and strengthening women’s leadership – has its own global manual known as Choose A Future Manual (CAF). The manual has 12 modules which covers topics like Me, Myself, Goals and plans, our families, community, work, friends and marriage, partnership, parenthood, puberty, reproduction health, legal rights, environment, us and together.
How do you adopt the model in Nepal?
We have adopted it in Nepal as Choose a Future for Girl. As our mission is to empower women, families, communities and societies with the realization that they’re full worth and values as a full partner of development. Taking all these into account this model has been prepared in such a way that it first provides individual to introduce self to himself/herself - To know who I am? What is my identity, what is my body like and what takes place inside my body and what is the physiology of body. How to protect from unsafe sex preventing the infection of sexually transmitted disease and also how not to get trafficked. Starting from personality development to knowing about one’s body physiology as well as what is happening in the society, the manual gives everything.
How do you see the results?
If adolescent girls are empowered to take decision in life regarding oneself, one’s health and education, one’s role in the society, it will bring tremendous change in community. Our experiences have shown that empowered person not only take care of oneself but also advocate their cause through their parents, teachers and other people in the society.
In which areas are your program implemented?
Based on CAF principle, we implemented this program in three districts Udayapur in eastern region, Mahottari in central region and Baglung in western region. If you look at selections of these districts in terms of geographical areas, they represent three different topography of Nepal - hill, terai and mountain respectively. In terms of development region, they represent eastern, central and western region.
What is the mission of CEDPA/Nepal?
CEDPA/ Nepal’s mission is to empower women, families, communities and societies with realization of their full worth and value as full partners in development. We have been working towards achieving our mission by helping rural women and girls to acquire knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions. BuD is one of the important programs helping rural women and girls to acquire knowledge and skills to make informed decisions and to take appropriate actions to address their education social and reproductive health needs. Our organization provides technical assistance to the government at national, district and local levels and to implementing NGOs, private institutions and practitioners.
How do you choose the girls?
We have chosen the adolescents girls in two ways. First we selected adolescent girls from schools. For that purpose, one school each from five VDCs of the district is chosen. These girls have privilege to go to schools. We have also other groups of adolescent girls who don’t have privilege to go to school. Some of these girls either have never gone to school or have dropped out.
How do you begin your program to drop outs and illiterate girls?
For adolescent girls who have never gone to school or the dropouts, we begin program through a literacy package of nine months duration. After completion of this package, we start the program to tell them all about adolescence and reproductive health. Those discussions are also incorporated in the literacy program. The result has been very satisfactory.
How do you enroll these girls in the formal school program?
After the program, these girls have to appear for exam. We arrange the linkage with the department of education to enroll these girls in formal courses in schools. Seventy percent of the school dropout girls were enrolled in schools in various classes from primary to secondary level. These girls are very motivated after getting enrolled in the schools.
What are other highlights of the program?
As we know, information is a power. There are many programs in the districts targeted at the adolescent girls including the scholarships but many people don’t know about it. What we do is collect the information and provide to the parents of the girls and to the girls. It will generate awareness.
How much has the insurgency hindered your program?
It is very difficult to implement programs as all these districts are, on one way or the other, insurgency-affected. Repeated general strikes often hamper our programs. This makes delays in the implementation side. I am proud to say that we are managing to overcome these problems because this program is very popular in the villages. So far, we have not faced any sort of threat or obstacle during the process of implementation.
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