Adolescent Boys & Girls Program for Gender Equity in Maharashtra, India

Details

In India, deeply-rooted notions of power and gender have led to the cultural acceptance of excessive mistreatment and adverse health outcomes of girls and women. Challenges to achieve gender equity must address the intersections between child marriage, reproductive health, girls’ education, and the normalization of gender-based violence 

For over five years, GSDI has partnered with the Center for Studies in Rural Development (CSRD), Institute for Social Work and Research in Ahmednagar, India. In Spring 2017, the control and intervention schools where the comprehensive training curriculum was taught were confirmed. The curriculum of the program taught participants ages 12-16 about the importance of education, gender equity, reproductive health, leadership, and gender-based violence in an after school setting. 

This project seeks to initiate a cognitive shift in the minds of the young participants that follows them through their life and facilitates better health outcomes for both male and female participants. Short-term program outcomes include increasing female participants’ school attendance, knowledge on the importance of education for girls & sexual/reproductive health as well as a reduction of harmful attitudes regarding gender-based knowledge. 

While achieving full gender equity is not realistic with a single program or project, providing participants with the knowledge necessary to reshape attitudes and behaviors is a necessary first step to seeing that change in larger society. GSDI and its partners in India are committed to addressing the injustices that women and girls face. 

Location

Ahmednagar, India