Issue: India has the fastest growing youth population in the world with an estimated 190 million adolescents. Girls are caught in the cycle of early marriage, repeated pregnancy and poverty. Despite laws prohibiting child marriage, cultural pressures force parents to marry their daughters early. A third of 15-19 year old girls are married, two-thirds are out of school. Setting: Peri-urban slums of Delhi; rural Madhya Pradesh; rural and urban slums of Gujarat. Partners: Begun in 1988, the program is a partnership between CEDPA and three umbrella NGOs: Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh (BGMS) in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat State Crime Prevention Trust (GSCPT) and PRERANA in Delhi, other NGOs, and community groups. Project: This Program uses an empowerment model that offers out of school adolescent girls aged 12-20 a combination of life skills: vocational, family life education, and leadership. Initially adult facilitators provided training but now alumni girls are facilitators. A recent evaluation has documented the impact on girls completing these programs. Results: Alumni girls compared to other girls of their communities show: later age of marriage, higher level of education, more self-confidence, decision-making within the household, and leadership roles in the community. Many of the alumni are starting training centers, small businesses, becoming teachers, and providing contraceptives to women in their communities. Conclusions: The Better Life Options Program in India goes beyond family life education and results in alternative life choices and decisions, and ultimately improved reproductive health behaviors.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) explain what issues face adolescent girls in India that compromise their reproductive health and 2) describe the impact of the Better Life Options Program (reproductive health education, basic life skills, vocational skills training) on decision-making and reproductive health behavior in three states of India
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Reproductive Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment