Empowerment of 400,000 Adolescent Girls in India

Sakshi Ashok Pawar is an adolescent girl from Dhakalgaon village. She lives with her parents, grandparents, and brother in a joint family environment. Her father works as a daily wage laborer, while her mother manages the household. Despite these financial challenges, Sakshi is determined to pursue her education and leadership role.

Sakshi was selected as a Peer Educator (PE) under the “Empowering Adolescent Girls for Future Leadership Roles” initiative implemented by Institute of Health Management Pachod, Ashish Gram Rachna Trust. She has been paired with her friend Janvi Manohar Rote, and together they are responsible for counselling and motivating 11 adolescent girls from their neighborhood.

Why Sakshi decided to be a Peer Educator

Having personally suffered from Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) and irregular menstruation, where her cycle used to occur only once in 3–4 months, she understood the challenges many girls go through. With counselling inputs, treatment and regular consumption of Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) tablets, Sakshi experienced remarkable improvements in her health. This personal transformation was responsible for her attraction toward the role of a Peer Educator.

Inspired by her own journey, Sakshi decided to become a Peer Educator, actively participating in community activities, motivating her peers, and guiding them towards healthier practices. Together with her friend Janvi, she conducts monthly household visits to provide information, and counselling. She also plays a central role in motivating girls to consume IFA tablets regularly, often calling girls for collective IFA intake at a central place where she herself joins her peers. This approach not only ensures regular supplementation and compliance but also creates a sense of unity and encouragement among adolescent girls in her community.

Sakshi takes her role very seriously and actively reaches out to 11 adolescent girls in her area. Along with Janvi, she conducts weekly household visits and ensures that all the girls in her cluster receive proper guidance. Their responsibilities include:

• Educating adolescent girls about nutrition, menstrual health, and prevention of anemia
• Motivating girls to attend Kishori Mandal (Girls Collective) meetings
• Encouraging regular consumption of iron supplements, often by making it a collective activity at a central place so that all girls feel engaged
• Providing a safe space for discussions, where girls can talk openly about their health problems
• Consistently following up with peers, ensuring that knowledge gets converted to practice
• Sakshi herself consumes IFA tablets regularly and sets an example, motivating her peers to do the same.

Sakshi has become a role model in her community, balancing her academics, family responsibilities, and her leadership role as a Peer Educator, She has brought about measurable change in her peers.

• 11 adolescent girls in her cluster have measurable improvement in their dietary behaviors
• These 11 girls are now regularly consuming iron supplement tablets
• Participation in Kishori Mandal (Girls Collective) activities has increased
• Girls are more open to discussing health concerns and seeking solutions

Sakshi’s own health has improved significantly:

• Her PCOD is under control
• She has a regular menstrual cycle
• Her hemoglobin level has improved
• Her weight has reduced and she has better overall health

Sakshi is one of thousands of girls who have become Peer Educators. Each pair of peer educators have adopted a cluster of 10 to 12 adolescent girls in their neighborhood. They are motivating the girls and their parents in their cluster to improve their nutrition, adopt improved menstrual hygiene behaviors, continue their education and delay their marriage till after their 19^th birthday. These peer educators are bringing about sustainable, inter-generational, transformative change, which is integral and organic to the community.

Sakshi’s story shows how empowering adolescents with knowledge and leadership skills can lead to visible health improvements, not only for themselves but also for their peers. Her journey reflects the strength of peer-led initiatives in tackling malnutrition, anemia, menstrual hygiene issues, continuing education and child marriage.

Through their determination and dedication, thousands of peer educators like Sakshi have become effective change agents in their communities which has the potential of becoming a mass movement.