A healthy discussion

In Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh,a programme on sexual health gets the youth talking.

In Badgaon village in Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh,a group of teenagers is deep in discussion. The topic of conversation is early marriage and the right age for pregnancy. These were issues that were once taboo in the region but ever since the Youth and Community Information Centre (YCIC) was set up in Badgaon in 2007,youngsters are increasingly asking questions on health and sexualityand are getting the right answers.

Badgaon lies in Jogiya block in Siddharthnagar,a district on the Indo-Nepal border that ranks low on health services and is vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and STD. Until three years ago,there was no one here to educate and guide teenagers on matters of health and sexuality. But today,villagers in Jogiya block have access to all information,courtesy people like Ravindra Kumar,a student who has been trained to provide information,the right way.

Kumar is an information provider or peer,who works at YCIC,a programme run by the Shohratgarh Environment Society (SES). Supported by the Mamta Health Institute for Mother and Child,New Delhi (Mamta HIMC),YCIC educates and trains young men and women from the community on health-related issues so that they,in turn,can spread awareness in the community. Boys and girls in this district get married before they are even sixteen because of which they face several health issues. But earlier,there was no one who could guide us and give us the correct information, says Kumar.

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It was when the SES was working in the district,providing support for health services,that a bunch of youngsters approached them for help. B C Srivastava of SES says,We realised that although these young people had several questions,it was difficult to get them to open up to us,especially the girls. So,we decided to select some youngsters from the community and train them so they in turn can spread awareness in the community. They are not trainers,but friends who can share information. We were supported by Mamta HIMC for the project and we selected youngsters after interacting with many of them.

Seema Kumari,a first-year student,is another peer who works in Badgaon village. She says,Some of my friends were married even before they turned 14 and they didnt know anything about contraceptives. In fact,a friend of ours died as she had three miscarriages before she turned 18. I was trained by SES and then I joined YCIC. Today,all my friends talk to me and I am happy to give them information. In fact,I often travel to other villages and meet young girls. Mothers invite me to their homes before their daughters weddings so that I can talk to them, says Kumari.

Under the Youth and Sexuality project,SES has created six YCICs in Jogiya blocktwo more are to start soon. At each centre,there are indoor and outdoor games,magazines,newspapers and books for the youth. These centres are usually located in community places like the panchayat ghar or the anganwadi centre. At any time,each centre has two peers who are selected from the community. Every week,the peers conduct regular sessions on issues like sexual and reproductive health,AIDS,HIV,early marriage and early pregnancy. The centre also keeps a question box,where the youth can put in their questions without disclosing their names. The box is opened by the YIC in-charge and the answers are shared during weekly meetings.