CMES took its experience with Adolescent Girls Program (AGP) into a unique project with Unicef where a few other organizations also came in with their special contribution on the subject. This is what is known as Kishori Abhijan meaning Adolescent Girls’ Expedition. CMES’s part of the Abhijan is an extended version of its AGP organized through Adolescent Associations around Outreach Centres in eight units of CMES. These are Satbaria in Chittagong; Gobratola, Alinagor, Noyadiyari and Elaipur in Chapai Nawabganj; Deuty in Rangpur; and Amtoli and Patharghata in Borguna.
Abhijan tries to make the girls and boys real pioneers in the expedition toward empowerment. Much of the works in Gender sessions, solidarity Conventions and Social Actions therefore are piloted by the peer leaders who are the soul of the program. One main aim of the Abhijan is to take the message of gender equity and empowerment strongly to the community and make a real impact there. One innovative CMES method has been to do this through Adolescent Performance Troupe who through their interesting folk performances of songs and dances take these to the heart of the community. Now Interactive Popular Theatre method has been added to this.
The other speciality of Abhijan has been the way it is involving the parents and other duty bearers and social leaders with the work of the project. There are very regular joint sessions of the adolescents with them to create a synergy. Thanks to the multi-organization character of the project – CMES program can access more specialized trainings for the peer leaders not only in the advocacy activities but also in the technical know-how for life-skills, livelihood technologies etc. Moreover the adolescents girls are now spreading themselves in far away areas to visit other groups, to perform in an open air theatre in the centre of Dhaka city, or to have an intensive retreat in Cox’s bazar where they take up thematic workshops and the thematic campaign process. |
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