Project Title

 Young people's reproductive and sexual health and rights with special focus on early marriage and early pregnancy in the state of Rajasthan and nationally

Funding Agency

Duration of the project

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Chicago, USA)

2008 - 2011

Geographical Coverage

The project covers 40 districts across the 4 States of Andhra Pradesh (5), Maharashtra (5), Rajasthan (15) and Uttar Pradesh (15)

Partners

Forty PNGOs, one in each district of implementation

Objectives

• To strengthen existing policy and program environment through advocacy with identified key stakeholders for prevention of early marriage and early pregnancy and promotion of sexuality education
• To capacitate an existing network of NGO’s at National levels with special focus on districts with relatively higher proportion of incidences of marriage below 18 years (‘legal’ age) among girls on effective advocacy skills for national and state level roll out of provisions made under policies and programs facilitating enhanced SRH outcomes of young people

• To facilitate and develop the National Curriculum of AEP for Sexuality Education

• To advocate through a network of Youth advocates from National Network on YSRHR with focus on issues of Sexuality education and prevention of Early marriage and Early pregnancy
• To develop and facilitate roll out of a District level ‘Advocacy plan’ with existing network of NGO’s in the State of Rajasthan on the issues of early Marriage and early pregnancies and sexuality education 

Project Brief

The project aims at achieving ‘legal’ age at marriage for boys and girls and delaying subsequent pregnancy while enhancing SRH of youth. One of the adopted strategies is to facilitate the roll out of three policies / laws which would affect positively YRSHR; i.e. Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006; District Child Protection Unit; Adolescent Education Programme (AEP); Youth Friendly Health Services.

Some of the significant activities of the project include training of young and adolescent peer educators on advocacy skills on issues related to early marriage and early pregnancy (EMEP), AEP and YFHS and capacitate PNGOs on effective advocacy skills for district and state roll out.

A News letter for Young people, which encompasses the different issues of young people with the focus on early marriage and early pregnancy, AEP and YFHS will also been launched.