Girls first in Haiti
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| Sloanna, talking after her training |
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"I very much appreciated the training I received. I had four trainers: business skills, responsible sexuality, life skills and gender equality - boy and girls we are the same with the same strength. I really feel energised to pass the information onto others. We have to keep the flow of knowledge and information going to the benefit of other girls like myself. It is really important," said Sloanna, 16, one of the girls taking part in the 'Girls First' project.
In partnership with a local organisation, Voluntariat pour le Developpement des Jeunes (VDH) Plan is working with adolescent girls and young mothers in Haiti to make sure they are equipped with all the information and knowledge necessary to face adult life's challenges.
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| Gender equity and children's rights training |
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"When we look at the AIDS prevalence in the Caribbean, we see how young people in Haiti really need to learn about the dangers of AIDS and STDs. During the last few weeks they have been able to see the importance of their choices in life," said Claude, VDH coordinator.
The project has four components:
- Responsible sexuality - participants acquire knowledge on how to prevent AIDS and STDs, problems inherent to early pregnancies and responsible sexual conduct
- Leadership and life skills - the girls learn about negotiation, conflict resolution, gender equity and how to communicate with their parents and other community members
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Rights of the child and gender equity - they learn about the rights of the child and gender equity
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Business skills - they learn about the local market opportunities, possible income generating activities, small business and how to manage their personal finance
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| Participants sharing experiences and opinions |
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The project further aims to favour contact and exchange of experiences and ideas between the girls to boost their confidence and transfer their newly acquired knowledge.
"At the end of the training I presented a folk dance with my little sister and other participants. I invited my younger sister because I do a lot of things with her and mostly because I liked the programme so much that I wanted her to be a part of it with me. Very soon, she will be a little older and I will be able to tell her about what we learnt in this training," said Nachemie, 13.
At the end of the two-year project, the participants will contribute to develop educational materials for local schools. The resources will also be posted on the project's internet.
Furthermore, a study, in collaboration with the girls and young mothers, will be carried out to identify improvements and suggestions for local organisations and government bodies on how to strengthen the services they offer to girls, young mothers and the communities.
"The parents appreciated the training which they say will help them better educate their children. The children appreciated the opportunity to get information and express themselves on usually 'taboo subjects'. We have also discovered that the children were more exposed that we even thought which reinforces the necessity to provide them with all the necessary information to face the challenges and make informed decisions," said Gansly Jean, Plan manager for the area.
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