2016 girls to be given life skill trainings

Kolkata, Feb 23: Adolescent girls from lower economic strata who feel hesitant to communicate with family elders and teachers, will now be given life-skill training to transform them into peer leaders.

The programme to train 2016 girls has been launched by CINI, a leading NGO, ahead of International Women's Day on March 8. The initiative 'With You She Can' has been undertaken in different districts of West Bengal and is aimed at building life skill and leadership qualities among young disadvantaged girls and help them come out of the cycle of early marriage, child labour and trafficking, a CINI spokesperson told PTI.

"We wish to instill confidence among 2016 girls this year who suffer due to problems related to health, domestic and outside abuse and early marriages. When adolescent girls find someone of their age and gender to communicate and share, they can find the confidence to come out of it," the spokesperson said.

She cited an example of 22-year-old Santwana Kar whose parents are daily labourers. Faced with early marriage and little education Santwana had approached CINI and has now become a peer leader and completed her masters in social work. "There could be more Santawanas," she said.

The campaign, which will be carried out wherever adolescent rescue centres of the NGO are located in the state, aims at raising Rs 2.6 lakh from the general people as token help to build field workers from among the girls.

The girls would get financial help and be encouraged to realise their career dreams, the spokesman added.

PTI