With adolescents comprising 21% of the total population, India is home to the largest adolescent population in the world. According to the National Family Health Survey 2019-2020, (NFHS 5), districts with a high proportion of the young population are lagging behind on many indicators (e.g., child marriage, teenage pregnancy, contraceptive use, maternal health). Wide-ranging issues such as nutritional deficiencies, reproductive health problems, sexually transmitted infections, and mental and physical stress-related problems are faced by this age group. About 43% of girls drop out before completing secondary education due to the onset of puberty, household responsibilities, early marriage, child labor, distance to school, and/or lack of sanitation facilities at the school.
Providing adolescents and young people with life skills, making youth-friendly health services accessible to them, and giving them the agency to fight for their rights can be the pathway to their empowerment. They can be #unstoppable, if we work together to create a safe and enabling environment around them, to help them fulfill their aspirations.
Your donation will help us to implement community-based health, education, and skilling programmes for supporting these aspirational young girls and boys to be #unstoppable!