Transform – Expanding Enabling Environments

Initiative to address Gender Based Violence (2016-2017)

Jharkhand Initiative for Adolescent Health (JIAH) (2016 – 2021)

“The Jharkhand Initiative for Adolescent Health” (JIAH) addressed the most pressing needs of adolescents in rural communities—health, nutrition, and education and mental health—by engaging adolescents in conversations and activities with their peers to improve their well-being in a supportive environment.

This intervention was designed to assess whether an intervention involving a community youth team facilitating participatory peer-led adolescent groups, youth leadership activities and livelihood promotion can improve school attendance, nutrition and mental health among adolescent girls in rural India.

Value of Girl Child(2023)

Goal

Improving adolescent girls’ health and nutrition, reducing early marriage and delaying the first pregnancy could help break the intergenerational cycle of undernutrition and improve birth outcomes. Developing state level holistic action plans for addressing pre-natal sex selective elimination of girl child bringing in adolescent and youth perspective and voices into existing programs and initiatives of the Government and private sector and leverage it to advocate for a sustainable comprehensive model to improve sex ratio and promote the value of girl child to ensure that human rights of the unborn female fetus and the girl child is recognized and protected.
The project’s geographic focus covers two districts i.e.  Khunti, Jharkhand, and Dhenkanal of Odisha.

Program Approach, Strategies, and ,Interventions

This intervention is based on a life cycle approach for empowering girls and women using principles of participatory learning and action (PLA). It focuses from birth till adulthood and the design and implementation of the interventions will be all-round development of girls and women by empowering girls to prevent early marriages, stay in school and exercise informed choice regarding marriage, – education, nutrition, health, skill development, work participation, maternity, access to their due entitlements, , support to most deprived groups, women’s security, empowerment and building their agency to enable their participation in governance and decision making.
– 24 facilitators were engaged with approximately 9000 women in reproductive age groups directly through Participatory Learning and Action meetings in 131 villages of four blocks from two districts namely Khunti, Jharkhand, and Dhenkanal, Odisha.
– This approach demonstrated a holistic comprehensive sustainable community led intervention model addressing sex selective elimination of girl children bringing in adolescent and youth perspectives. This will create an environment to prevent child, early, and forced marriage, make aware of the right age of marriage and generate interest among adolescents in the need for health, nutrition, education and well-being.

Sashakt(2024)

‘Sashakt’ is an initiative aimed at empowering adolescent girls, particularly with the tribal communities. We will work towards enhancing their health, education and socio-economic outcomes, thus contributing to the government’s efforts towards building a strong, resilient and vibrant ecosystem where tribal girls can thrive. The geography proposed for this work is the tribal regions of Jharkhand and Odisha. Sashakt seeks a collaborative relationship with stakeholders, academic experts and government representatives. Our vision aligns with the aspiration of a gender-balanced environment, encouraging women’s active participation in the process of nation-building. Overall wellbeing of adolescent girls will add momentum to the shared vision of a better India.