Samriddhi Project

This project was designed to empower Youthreach India partner NGOs - Sahara, Prerana, Dr. Reddy's Foundation, and Byrraju Foundation - to mainstream SRH lessons into those partners' existing youth vocational training programmes. To accomplish this, Youthreach first commissioned an assessment in late 2008 to pinpoint and understand the specific needs of adolescents in relation to SRH, to map existing health services, and to identify gaps in information and services. The assessment also measured the knowledge and attitudes of youth and parents and identified preferences for curriculum design and methodology. Using the findings of this assessment and a desk review of existing manuals and teaching aids, IYF and Youthreach commissioned the Thoughtshop Foundation to develop the Samriddhi curriculum [PDF], teacher's manual, and teaching aids. Available in both Hindi and Telugu, these materials are designed to take into account the cultural norms of Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. The teaching aids, which complement the curriculum, include scenario flip charts, discussion questions, charts on the reproductive system and the body, games, puzzles, and situation cards.

The 4 partners selected 21 of their own staff members to learn to deliver the curriculum. After the training of trainers, each of the 4 partners incorporated the Samriddhi curriculum into its youth vocational courses. The integration models were, therefore, unique to each organisation. Nonetheless, 2 common elements were required: trainers had to spend at least 2 hours on each session of the curriculum; and students learned in sex-segregated groups, as recommended by the needs assessment. Here are some specific details about how each of the 4 partners used the Samriddhi curriculum and teaching aids:

• Dr. Reddy's Foundation: In Rajahmundry, Eluru, and Rajam districts of Andhra Pradesh, this foundation manages the Livelihood Advancement Business Schools (LABS), which offer training to youth from low-income backgrounds. This partner chose to teach the Samriddhi curriculum all at once during the last 2 days of the 92-day LABS training course. The rationale was that by this time, students would have established a rapport with each other and with their trainers, and that they would feel more comfortable discussing and learning SRH.
• Byrraji Foundation: In East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, this foundation works with at-risk girls, primarily school dropouts from rural areas. Seven trained teachers offered the Samriddhi curriculum to 1,200 girls, in groups of 15 girls at a time over 5 days. The foundation felt that this model would maximise participatory learning.
• Sahara: In Hyderabad, Sahara's vocational training centre for school dropouts offers 3-month programmes in computer applications and workplace English. Sahara trainers integrated SRH messages into the courses, so that the Samriddhi curriculum was imparted gradually over 3 weeks.
• Prerana: In Delhi, Prerana offers various vocational trainings to groups of young people. This partner integrated the Samriddhi curriculum differently for each of 3 groups:
  1. A 6-month vocational programme trains girls in sewing, tailoring, and beauty culture; graduates then charge a modest fee to train other girls in these skills. Prerana integrated the Samriddhi curriculum into the vocational training and graduates now pass these SRH lessons to peers along with vocational skills.
  2. Project GOAL includes netball as a vehicle for empowerment and leadership as it trains girls in life skills. Here, trainers integrated the Samriddhi curriculum in 1- to 2-hour sessions over 3 weeks, after netball games.
  3. In Prerana's art programme - which teaches boys how to draw, paint, and sculpt over the summer school holiday - trainers offered SRH lessons on alternating days over 2 weeks.

Youth, Reproductive Health.

According to the National Family Health Survey-2, 50% of Indian women marry and 28% give birth before reaching the legal minimum age of 18. Nearly one-third of all reported AIDS cases in India occur in those aged 15 to 24. Samriddhi organisers note that most health surveys find that the SRH needs of India's young people are poorly understood and ill-served, and that youth who live in poverty are most vulnerable.

In all, 21 trained teachers from the 4 partner organisations reached 1,931 girls and boys with the SRH lessons and teaching aids. IYF and Youthreach found that the Samriddhi curriculum was very effective in providing accurate information to students and in expanding their perceptions of gender roles and healthy sexual/family relations. Moreover, the curriculum was considered to be effective across almost all the ways that partners integrated the SRH lessons into their vocational programmes.