TEN YEARS OF PROJECT SHE (SCHOLARSHIP FOR HIGHER EDUCATION) – UPDATE, Part 4!

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HOME VISITS OFFER SUPPORT, AND A MEETING FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS.

YGB’S NGO partner NISHTHA’s outreach team carried out regular home visits in YGB’s beneficiary communities to provide health and social support.  During this year-long project period, over 8,292 home visits were conducted, including 709 small group sessions, 833 one-on-one sessions, and community counseling for adult men.  When the second-wave of COVID-19 suddenly surged, these all needed to be paused.  However, NISHTHA secured special permission from the District Magistrate to continue regular home visits to provide relief help and first-aid medications.

During these visits, NISHTHA noted beneficiaries’ lifestyles, including the ways in which they managed the increasing pressures on their lives caused by COVID-19 lockdown measures and the cyclone.  A primary focus of these visits were provide social and emotional support to the community, in hopes of lifting them up during difficult times.

During this same reporting period, NISHTHA had 77 meetings with 1,157 participants. By that time, COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and in-person meetings could resume.  During the adolescent meetings, the girls brainstormed innovative ideas on how to best meet the challenges of a continuously-changing life situation.  Additional topics of discussion included the importance of education, strategies to effectively protect others in their peer group, identifying and problem-solving issues and challenges unique to their age group, identifying the root causes of and ending violence against girls and women, and, the Importance of socialization on gender.

YGB and NISHTAH’S goals are that at least 80% of the girls in our beneficiary communities are protected from early marriage, forced labor, and trafficking, and to ensure their rights and opportunities.  Empowering these youth to be able to communicate their rights, needs and wishes with appropriate gravity to authority figures in a patriarchal society is critical to their ability avoid early marriage and forced labor.

YGB and NISHTHA remain committed to uplifting girls, women and whole communities through formal and community education, and to protecting them from trafficking, abuse, and torture.  Come back here for more updates on our SHE and other critical programs!