Empowerment of 400,000 Adolescent Girls in India

Dear friends and supporters,

 Thank you for your generous donation. Your support helps us continue in our mission to empower and protect adolescent and young married women in our community. You will be delighted to learn that the Government has asked us to scale up our model for the empowerment and protection of adolescent girls. Your support will help us to scale up the project from 6000 girls to reach 154,000 adolescent girls. We will provide life skills education to delay age at marriage and deliver health services to young married women to reduce the burden of morbidity that they experience as a result of early motherhood. This quarter we have provided reproductive health services to young married women, conducted life skills education training for unmarried adolescent girls, distributed bicycles to girls for continuing their high school education and undertaken gender sensitization for young men in both rural areas and urban slums.

 In urban slums: In this quarter 285 pregnant women received antenatal care services, 47 pregnant women were referred and treated for maternal morbidity, 138 women were referred for treatment of reproductive tract and sexually transmitted infections. 309 young women were provided contraceptives to space child birth. A total of 213 unmarried adolescent girls completed life skills education. A four day workshop on Sexual and Reproductive Health was conducted for unmarried adolescent girls, which resulted in a significant increase in their knowledge of sexual and reproductive health.

 In the Rural setting: In rural area, our community health workers rendered services to 645 married adolescent girls in this quarter. Antenatal services were provided to 279 pregnant girls. The proportion of young married girls using temporary contraceptives has increased to 28 percent.

 This quarter we conducted Life Skills education training for 32 Life Skills Education teachers. Soon after their training they started classes in their villages. During this quarter we conducted a four day sexual and reproductive health workshop for 245 adolescent girls and 17 married adolescent girls. Computer and internet training was given by 26 peer leaders and a total of 142 adolescent girls were covered. Our field coordinators selected and trained 46 new peer leaders. Bicycles were distributed to another 25 girls who belong to families living below the poverty line, to continue their high school education.

Gender sensitization of young men is an important component of our project.  In this quarter, 144 group meetings were organized at the village level, with 24 youth groups. In all 2499 youth attended these meetings. In this quarter, 48 peer leaders disseminated information to 610 youth in their villages. We anticipate a measurable reduction in sexual and domestic violence.

Case Study

Kavita (name changed) was identified with 5 months pregnancy by our community health worker during their house visits. Her family was extremely superstitious. When our nurses and health worker asked her to come for an antenatal check up, her family refused to cross the road after 12 pm as they believed it would be inauspicious for the pregnant lady. The antenatal check up was done at her home by our nurses in the presence of her mother- in-law. Abdominal examination, weight and blood pressure were within normal limits at the time of the first examination.

 She did not register herself for antenatal care in a hospital. The importance of registration in a hospital was explained to her and her mother-in- law. Various danger signs during pregnancy and risks of unsupervised home delivery were told to her and her family. Nurses also explained the importance of balanced and nutritious diet for the health of the mother and the baby. Fortunately they listened attentively to everything and agreed to get Kavita registered in a hospital.

 On the second visit by IHMP’s nurse, her blood pressure was found to be quite high. Kavita had swelling over face and feet, which is one of the more grave danger signs during pregnancy. She also complained of burning when passing urine and severe headache, two other serious danger signs during pregnancy. Our nurse referred her to the hospital immediately. Kavita’s mother-in-law herself took her to the hospital. She was found to be anemic and hypertensive when she was examined by the doctors in the hospital. The attending doctor prescribed a course of injections to treat her anaemia and also advised her to get her blood pressure checked twice a day for 5 days in a nearby clinic. She was given treatment for urinary infection and high blood pressure. The doctor explained to her family the possibility of delivery by Caesarean section if her blood pressure continued to remain high.

Kavita took the medicines regularly, followed the advice about nutritious diet given by our nurse. She was blessed with a baby girl weighing 3500 gms. Kavita had a normal delivery!! She and her family were very happy. But the baby suffered from neonatal jaundice after birth. Once more this was detected very early by our nurse during her house visit and she took Kavita and her baby girl to the hospital once again. The baby recovered from jaundice within a week. Both the mother and baby are healthy and extremely happy.

Kavita is the archetype of the burden of morbidity that a majority of adolescent girls suffer as a result of early motherhood. Your support enables us to visit these girls on a regular periodic basis, detect these morbidities early and link these girls to medical facilities. This project has saved the lives of many girls and their newborn babies. Your support has encouraged us to increase our target from 6000 girls to 154,000 adolescent girls. Please share Kavita’s story with ten of your closest friends.

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