Empowerment of 400,000 Adolescent Girls in India

Institute of Health Management, Pachod (IHMP) started the “Integrated reproductive, sexual health and family planning project for young married women” in urban slums of Pune city in 2015. The project is supported by Yardi Software India a Pune based IT company. Project implementation was initiated in May 2015, after conducting a baseline study. The key activities involved in the project are:

Monthly surveillance by the CHWs - : Community Health Workers (CHWs) recruitedby IHMP,oneper slum, for 12 slum areas, conduct monthly home visits to assess health and information needs of each household including any reproductive morbidity.

Need specific behavior change communication and communication through a social norms approach: During home visits the CHWs provide need specific - interpersonal communication and counselling. Monthly group counselling sessions are conducted for young married women and their parents. During this quarter 30 sessions were conducted and 527 adolescent girls attended the group meetings.

Life skills education was initiated at the slum level for unmarried adolescent girls. In 12 slums, 221 adolescent girls are attending life skills education classes.

Outreach services by IHMP ANMs: Primary level care for maternal and reproductive health is being provided through project staff. Sixty two clinics were organized in this quarter and 1150 young married women were provided reproductive and sexual health services.

Specialised clinic started at PUHC- Clinics for emergency obstetric and gynaecological services were started at the primary urban health centre from August 2015 to improve access to specialised care for high risk women from our slums.

Community based monitoring (CBM) through slum health and development committees (SHDC) in 12 project slums - A total of 139 slum residents from the project area are actively involved in monitoring project activities in order to ensure that young women receive the services that they require.

Case Study: Siddhi gets a second chance to go to school

Siddhi, a 13 year old girl in one of our slums had stopped going to school for the last two years.

She grew up in a household in Pune where she and her younger sister assumed all the household responsibilities while her two brothers were able to attend school. Siddhi left school and started helping her mother who works as a laborer at a construction site.  Her younger sister goes to school occasionally as the family cannot afford the school fees and travel costs.

Siddhi's father deserted the family when her mother was six-months pregnant. Her mother fell sick and couldn't work. The full burden of the household fell on young Siddhi's shoulders.

One of our Community Health Worker identified Siddhi’s plight and brought it to the notice of our staff and requested IHMP to find a solution. Siddhi and her sister were immediately enrolled for Life Skills Education that is provided by IHMP in their slum.  Along with basic education, the sisters were taught about nutrition, health and hygiene, as well as other topics that are useful in their day-to-day lives. 

After that we went to the school where Siddhi was previously enrolled and tried to get her re-admitted so that she could fulfill her dream of getting an education. However, the school was not willing to take her back unless the pending fees for the previous two years were paid. The family could not afford to pay the school fees.

IHMP identified donors who agreed to pay the fees and support Siddhi and her sister’s education. Today, both the girls are no longer laborers. Instead, every morning, they dress up proudly in their pink and maroon school uniforms. They carry their books in their school bags and wait for the school bus like the other children.

We were successful in supporting Siddhi because of our generous donors. Siddhi is excited that she is ready to catch up with her missed classes and hopes to join her friends in the ninth grade soon.

Siddhi’s mother says, “My children would have remained illiterate if IHMP wasn’t there. IHMP was the one that provided the opportunity for my children to lead a better life and have a brighter future. Now I really understand the value of education. It has the capability to bring an immense change in a person’s life.”

“Girls’ education is the single best investment we can make to fight poverty”.

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*all beneficiary names in this report have been changed