Sixteen -year -old students and state -level athletes, Nipu Anuradha feared her childhood marriage. The family of Nilapur decided to get married at an early age. In July 2024, the local administration can learn about this possible marriage under the Sakhi initiative. He immediately intervened, and persuaded the family to cancel the marriage by making the family aware of the legal and social consequences of child marriage.
Expressing gratitude, Anuradha said, “This assistance under the Sakhi initiative has given me the opportunity to continue studying and follow my emotions towards sports.
Integral Development Initiative
The Sakhi initiative, which was launched in 2022, is a health and development program in the overall adolescence, which is being operated under the Technical Assistance of UNICEF under the Pepfar-CDC project in Vijayanagram district of Andhra Pradesh.
Its purpose is to promote the inclusion of adolescents at the community, school and college level. This program takes action on important issues such as health, nutrition, education, protection and socio-economic empowerment.
Sakhi initiative is the foundation stone of assistance in the Sakhi Group at the community level. Each group has 60 members between the ages of 9 and 21. These groups meet them every month and discuss important issues such as health, nutrition, problems leaving school, cyber crime, child marriage, adolescence pregnancy, skills development and protection of women.
These groups have received guidance of local engaging workers and school teachers and help government officials like female police and health workers. Members of this group are given the power to deal with special training and use useful knowledge and equipment to deal with emergency situations.
Women’s Police Officer of Vijayanagar
Overall assistance for adolescent health
A sixteen -year -old girl from Guntu in Andhra Pradesh (identity has been kept confidential) said she was a regular headache and it seems difficult to concentrate during the exam. Therefore, he has decided to get help from the Ims State Kishore Resource Center.
“There I got to know about the stress and anxiety of the test. I’m relieved from counseling and stress management strategies. I can now gladly say that in two weeks I feel normal again.”
Health Sakhi program has been particularly focused on health. For this, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) State Adolescent Health Resources Center has been assisted in Mongalgiri, Andhra Pradesh has been taken. This center provides important services such as advice, health check -up, telemedicine, physical growth, vaccination and UNICEF support.
Schools are included in the activities included in Sakhi. Under the school health and welfare programs, trained ‘Health and Welfare Messenger’ conducts communication sessions for students from 6 to 12 grade. In these sessions, awareness of health promoting and disease prevention on 11 important issues spread.
Sakhi Corner: Resource Center for teenagers
National Children’s Day on 14 November 2024, Sakhi started at Vijayangarh in Sakhi. It is its first teenage -centric resource center in the state.
In this center, adolescents can receive healthcare with HIV prevention. Also, counseling on health and other personal problems is also available here.
The digital path of health and empowerment
“It affects the health and future of both child marriage, mothers and children in the ninth grade student of Kumaram District Council High School. We learn about these national problems through the school health and welfare programs website, educating others and empowering ourselves.”
Explains the process of reaching the Chaitrali website, explaining the process of registration and completion of HIV awareness quiz on the website website, and inspires to use this platform for its comrades’ education and change.
Through this digital platform, adolescents and teachers of government and private schools in Andhra Pradesh get access to important resources such as HIV prevention, mental health, drug addiction and life skills.
This new and effective digital platform has been adopted by more than 17,000 active youths, of which more than three-fourths of adolescent girls. This is its first website, which is becoming an attractive and rewarding experience for learning.