Ujjibito Adolescent Clubs

The rate of child marriage and early childbirth is significantly high in Bangladesh due to the traditional gender norms of society and the socio-economic condition of the families. Adolescent girls from comparatively poor families often fall victims to early marriage. In addition, the status of physical and mental growth of adolescent girls is poor in the country. The adolescent clubs were formed to address the underlying social constraints which affect the adolescent girls’ lives and restrict them from becoming active economic agents under an EU-funded project titled ‘Food Security 2012 Bangladesh-Ujjibito’, implemented by PKSF <www.pksf-bd.org>. These clubs have been established to empower girls by giving them access to information about their rights, educating them of their responsibilities towards the society, providing them life skills for improving their self-confidence and negotiating skills to establish their rights. It reveals from the independent evaluation that those ‘Adolescent Girls’ Clubs have been instrumental to promoting adolescent girls’ wellbeing, changing the gender norms that constrain their lives and broadening their horizons to become conscious about their future.

The attached documents portrayed some facts related to that intervention. It can be accessed from PKSF’s website at https://pksf-bd.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/14.-Ujjibito-Kishore.pdf